Conspiracy Theories
by wolfeschatten
Summary: Conspiracies are no longer theories. The American government discovered the world beyond their own and has chosen to wage war. The more power hungry they became, the more children went missing. No one realizes what is happening until it is too late. Not even the gods are trying to stop them. If the gods can't stop man, can half god, half children? T for swearing violence
1. Abduction

**Mostly all characters by Rick Riordan. Some characters by Rick Riordan. No copyright infringement intended. blue hands from _Firefly_**

**Chapter 1**

**Percy P.O.V.**

It was a normal day for the most part: I saw Annabeth, battled a few people for a seat on the subway, almost got hit by pizza delivery guys on bikes, got kidnapped by some men in black...

It all started that morning as I was going about my normal demigod business. I was walking down the street towards the metro when I felt a presence, like the old adage about someone walking on my grave. I stopped, turning in circles as I searched for the source. Everyone was minding their own business bustling and swerving around each other as they headed in their opposite directions.

But finally, I caught a couple flashes of black, something that was out of place: two men in black suits who quickly turned back to each other in an attempt to look mundane. I watched them for a moment more before figuring they were just strange and shrugging it off. That was mistake number one.

I turned back to the subway entrance and jogged down the steps, my hand unconsciously reaching for my pocket.

* * *

I exited the subway in a hurry, remembering Mom's request to be home early for Paul's birthday, and I only had five minutes to get two blocks. And from the moment I stepped onto the street, I knew something was wrong.

For New York, the streets were relatively deserted. No pedestrians were traipsing along the pavement. No cars honking at each other to move. Thinking back, I should have been more...alert.

Or at least more prepared for a black van, stereotypical kidnapping van, that screeched up to the sidewalk. The van's occupants streamed out in balaclavas and black turtle necks, rushing me with batons and tasers.

Instinctively, I uncapped riptide and did what came naturally. I swung the sword.—And the blade sliced clean through the nearest adversary.

_They're human_, I thought belatedly.

Shock dulling my senses, the kidnappers wrenched my arms together with zip-cuffs. I fought back, kicking and shouting profanities, but the bastards held a fetid rag to my face and pulled a black hood over my head. There was nothing I could do to prevent them from shoving me into the van. I lost consciousness after hearing them saying something about catching another one.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was that I was lying on something hard and uncomfortable. Cracking my eyes open, I saw four pairs of blury eyes staring at me and a painfully bright glow.

I groaned and rubbed at my temple. Whatever that had covered that rag left my head reeling, my vision still swimming and my stomach doing flips. Fighting back nausea, I groaned again and clenched my eyes shut. Once i felt like I could control my insides, I reopened my eyes. Hovering over me was a girl surrounded in white. Glancing around, I realized that the whole room was white. White panels covered the walls surrounding white tables and white benches. The only non-white thing in the room was a giant mirror that covered half a wall.

"You drool in your sleep," she said evenly.

Even in this situation, I had to smile. "I've been told that before."

She pursed her full lips and poked me in the head, right between the eyes. I raised an eyebrow and blocked a second poke.

"What are you doing?"

She shrugged and sighed, turning away. Her hair, a soft coppery brown, fell loosely down the middle of her back, little braids and twirls woven all throughout. When she looked back, I saw she had two different colored eyes with no subtle difference. One sapphire blue, the other emerald green. Her nose was a little slim and pointed but not too much that it looked off, and her face the shape of an oval, her body slim and muscular covered by a white tank top and white yoga pants. Black drawings covered her arms, both left and right.

"The doctors were complaining they couldn't get a needle through your skin," she explained.

"And you thought poking me would?" Again, she shrugged. "Where are we?"

"Area 51." She spoke with a slight accent, Boston maybe. It sounded like she was from Massachusetts, but I couldn't be sure.

"Really?" I pushed myself into a sitting position, noting I was on a white bench much like the rest of the achromatic room.

"No." She took a breath, "well, maybe. I mean I don't know exactly where we are. Well, I was guessing we were. Well, I was estimating with cause, I—"

"Who took us?"

She looked at me, a little peeved for interrupting her. "Hands of blue."

"Huh?"

She nodded towards the mirror and whispered, "big brother's always watching."

"You mean—the government kidnapped me?" I asked incredulously. "Why? I know I'm not the golden American but this seems to be a little extreme."

The girl laughed. "They know," she explained.

"Well, thanks."

"No. I mean, they _know_."

"Know what?" I asked slowly. Something about what the kidnapper said in the van was sliding into place. I just really hoped I was wrong. The girl opened her mouth to speak but stopped abruptly as a deep male voice rendered gruffly:

"Everything, Mr. Jackson. We know about you, your father, that little camp you go to every summer."

The man, who wore a simple, black business suit, slammed a fat file down onto the white table. His light brown hair was short cropped and balding at his crown. His cold, blue eyes matched his unemotional stare and sharp, pixie-style face. I blanched and looked at his hands and the blue latex gloves covering them. A partner stood silently beside him, almost identical but slightly difference. The first blue hand turned to the girl.

"You should be in class, Ms. Thorn."

The girl sneered at the guy and stood up haughtily. She mimicked their military stance and saluted them with a leer.

"Yes, sir, kidnapper, sir!" She slid on her heels and marched out of the cafeteria-like room. The blue hands didn't watch her leave but kept all eyes on me, never blinking. I hated being the center of attention.

As Ms. Thorn reached the doorway and it opened to reveal more white hallway, she turned and winked. _I'll be seeing you, Jackson_.

I jumped to attention and looked at Blue Men. They acted like they didn't hear her, but I _know_ she said something._ In my mind? _I mentally shrugged it off, deciding on confronting the strange girl later. I faced the guys and started tapping incessantly on the table.

"So what do I call you guys?" I asked, drawing out the so.

"I am Agent Jones," said the first blue hand.

"I am Agent Smith," said the other.

"And why am I here?"

Jones stepped forward and grasped my arm, heaving me to my feet. And shoving me towards the door that Thorn had recently vacated.

"We know more than the little details, Mr. Jackson. We know about the little war that your kind brought to New York."

My breathing came faster and faster as I was lead into the hall. In both directions guards stood to attention. They were all equipped with restraints, clubs, radio ear sets, and guns. They all turned their emotionless faces to me as I came in.

I gulped and was shoved into walking to the right. Doors with circular windows dotted each side. Faces of kids appeared as I walked by. Some of the faces I knew. Travis Stoll looked close to tears when he saw me, Katie Gardner, a few hunters from Thalia's troop. All half-bloods I had seen from one time or another.

"But—" my voice cracked. I had been trained and been in so many situations, but none were like this one. The government was rounding up half-bloods. Like animals.

We reached a room numbered C22. The door opened and I was unceremoniously shoved inside. I heard a lock slide behind me. Static crackled above my head and a voice sounded its way through:

"Make yourself comfortable, Perseus Jackson. You will receive your fate in the morning." The voice paused for a moment and I guessed it was coming on to all the rooms. _Although, I wouldn't be able to hear a bomb go off outside my door._ "Lights out."

The only light flashed off and I was left in total darkness to find my military cot.

* * *

I woke to flashing bright lights. I lurched sideways off of the cot, scrambling on the floor with confusion as to where I was. Then I remembered, my heart sinking to the realization of being a prisoner. The van. The government. The hands of blue.

The cell was exactly as I remembered, almost completely barren. One single cot, one cupboard for clothing and two half walls hiding a toilet, a sink, and a weird shower head.

I frantically searched my pocket for my pen, relaxing enough to concentrate when I its familiar slick casing. I was a little confused that my pen was still here, but then they had probably disarmed me and didn't know about the reappearance act so I didn't question the gift.

Curious, I inspected the cupboard and found pairs of white t-shirts and sweatpants that were a more masculine cut of the clothes Thorn was wearing lining the drawers. No shoes. My own shoes were gone as well, although I still wore my own clothes.

I whirled around when the door to my room opened, expecting to see the zombie-like guards or worse, the hands of blue. But no one was there.

I shrugged and stuck my head out. All of the rooms were open and its inhabitants were streaming out down the hall. The girl, Ms. Thorn, was making her way out of the room adjacent to me and nodded her head to follow. Not knowing what else to do, I followed. Everyone was identical. Their faces shared the same lost, haggard emotion, the same clothes, the same ill-fate of confinement.

Everyone was mindlessly shambling towards another insipid room like the first one I had woken up in the day before: white tables were surrounded by white benches; a giant wall-to-wall mirror hung on one side while the opposite was honeycombed with cafeteria like shelves. Guards were alert in every corner, keeping an especially close eye on the line now forming before the food.

Travis Stoll came up behind me and whispered to get food and not draw attention. I joined the line and almost started laughing, although without any mirth. Even the fricken cafeteria trays were white. A detached server shoved a plate with taters, eggs, an apple, and juice into my hands, glowering until I moved away.

Travis, Katie Gardner, and Thorn were sitting at a table in the middle, farthest from any guards. When I sat, Travis grasped my arm in greeting, and Katie smiled a sad smile. Thorn just nodded.

"You too, huh?" I said with little humor.

"Got me outside of school. No one saw. Connor was somewhere else, thank gods." Travis informed me.

"I was at my local greenhouse! They got me right after work. Came in a black van and masks."

"Same here," I agreed. I carefully glanced around the cafeteria, "gods, almost half of camp is here! What the Hades is going on?"

Katie and Travis shrugged dejectedly.

"They aren't just keeping us here," supplied Thorn. I turned to her as she was inspecting me curiously with her mismatching eyes. "They want us for them."

"Do you always speak in riddles?"

She smiled deviously. "Makes it more fun. Besides," she began to pick at her food, "it distracts from the insipid taste."

"What's your name anyways? I only know Thorn."

She tossed her head side to side as if debating telling me. "Lyra," she looked up at me with uneven eyes, "daughter of Hecate." _Hecate? Hecate's the goddess of..._

"Why not use magic to escape? If we come together, all of the demigods could easily overpower the guards!" I exclaimed loudly then glanced around to make sure no guards were taking an interest in us.

Travis and Katie sank in their seats and shook their heads.

"Clarisse is here," said Katie who was close to tears. Her eyes bloodshot.

"She fought the guards, even took out four of them." Travis said almost happily, at least proud.

"But Jones and Smith came and used this grip on her. She went out like a light," finished Lyra. She shrugged and pinched her nose, shoveling food into her mouth.

"Okay, so brute force from Clarisse doesn't work, but why not magic?"

Lyra frowned at me. "I can't use magic," she said touchily.

"You can't use magic." I said disbelievingly.

"I have other small talents that make up for the lack of magic." She replied haughtily. I smiled deviously. Travis and Katie watched our conversation warily, aware of any prying eyes and guards.

"Like speaking in one's mind?" That earned me a sly smile.

"Something like that." We got no further. Mr. Jones , or maybe Mr. Smith because they looked exactly the same, hovered above me.

"Mr. Jackson, why aren't you wearing your clothes?" I glared up at them, my fist clenching.

"I am wearing my clothes. See, that's a Puma shirt and these—are skate board pants." I pinched each article as I spoke. No emotion betrayed the stone features of Jones .

"You are required to wear the uniforms of the Academy."

I touched my chin, feigning debating. "Mmm, I'm gonna have to decline. I like colors."

If I had not been ready for it, I would have been smashed against the table. I rolled to the side and out of Jones's fist's range. He was faster than I gave him credit for. Spectators jumped up and out of the way. I raised my fists, ready for a fight.

_No! Jackson, now is _not_ the time for fighting!_ I risked a glance at Lyra. She gave no indication of speaking to me but stood nonchalantly by the table. I lowered my fist, though they were still clenched.

"Fine. I'll go change."

Jones made no nod but allowed me to go back to my room. I stormed into my room and slammed the door shut, not caring it might lock me in. I tore through the cupboard and threw the clothes all over the room. I stripped down and replaced it with the white clothes. I didn't trust leaving it in my pants, which would probably be taken from my prison once I left, so I hid riptide in a crack in my cot. My hands were shaking and had bits of egg on them.

"Figures," I mumbled as I numbly walked to the sink. No faucet. I tried running my hand underneath and the egg fell off but no water came out. I tapped the sink but still there was no water. I tried the shower. No water. No water in the toilet. Furious and dispirited, I slammed my fist against the wall. It cracked but my skin was intact.

"You're an idiot." I spun towards the voice. Lyra was leaning against the bathroom wall with her arms crossed.

"Get out," I growled. She pushed off the wall and made a tsk sound.

"Don't be like that. I saved your ass."

I growled, exasperated.

She rolled her eyes. _They would've thrown you into a deep, deep hole._

"Stop doing that! If you even tried to use magic, we could get everyone out!" I shouted. I shouted loud enough to crack through Lyra's uncaring facade. She covered it quickly but for a second I saw she was equally scared. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did. I don't—have— magic. Like I said, I have little talents."

Over the speakers, electronic beeps resonated. "Class has started."

"Class? You mean to say I was kidnapped _and_ I have to go to school?"

Lyra smiled and seemed to have forgiven me for my outburst. "It's more like—conditioning."

•—•—•–•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

I was starting to be really sick of white. Nothing gave any clues as to where we were being held. As far as I knew, we were in Antarctica. Other than the couple of hours of actual school, the classroom was not a classroom.

It was a doctor's office. The room was filled with paraphernalia used by doctors: a scale, needles, vials, a chair, a seat for the "patient," etc. There were many of the "classrooms" so that only a few would be waiting for the next appointment. I was escorted into one of them and told to sit, and as soon as I did straps entangled my ankles and wrists. A young woman entered soon after. Blonde hair tied back in a tight pony tale. Blue eyes hidden behind glasses.

"Patient's name: Perseus Jackson. Male. Age 16. Son of Poseidon, god of water."

"It's actually the sea. And these," I jangled against the restraints, "aren't necessary." The woman almost smiled.

"I can assure you they are." She ruffled through a drawer under the sink and removed a needle. Before I could react, she jabbed it at my arm. The tip shattered. "I was hoping you could explain this?"

"Let's say no."

She frowned and lowered her glasses to see me more clearly. "Mr. Jackson, if you just cooperate with me, this will go much easier for you."

"Mhm. Doctor—"

"Calder," she supplied.

"Dr. Calder, I have no intention of making this easy for you people. You took me against my will and tore me away from my family." I leaned forward, my wrists killing at the awkward angle. "I'm gonna find a way out. And I'm going to make you all pay. I swear on the River Styx." It might have just been me, but I could swear the earth rumbled and Dr. Calder felt it. She lost her superior look and warily glanced at the door.

"We will continue the invincibility on a later date. Now it is just an ordinary check up." She took out stethoscopes and listened to my breathing, ran an X-ray, took many measurements, even took the opportunity to hit me with some knobby thing.

Nearing the end, Dr. Calder removed a weird looking bracelet from her bottomless drawer.

"This," she clipped the bracelet onto my right wrist, "is a monitoring bracelet. It will tell us if you fiddle with it." To prove her point, she took her pen and leveraged it between the meeting of the two ends. I felt a strong, sharp shock of electricity. I yelped in surprise. "You didn't want to cooperate. This is how we deal with those who are uncooperative." I stared insanely and thought of painful ways to deal with her until the guards returned and untied me.

Two hours of stupid things to run and a nasty chalk drink and an insane, psychopathy bracelet and I was released to free time. One day and I was already ready to be free of this place.

Free time was time we were allowed to be in our room with nothing to do. In short, it means be locked in your room until we see fit. Apparently some kids, kids who are good, are given things to pass the time. I was no such kid. I was left to sit and stare at a blank wall. No tiles to count. Nothing to do but just sit and count seconds as best I could.

During that time, I figured out the trick to the shower. It was some kind of sonic cleaner so I had no water to manipulate to my advantage. Angrily, I decided to punish them by going on strike. No water, no shower. If they wanted to be able to breathe fresh air, then they need to give me a real shower and sink.

I plopped down against the door to my room and threw an invisible ball at the opposite wall. _Lyra. Lyra. Lyra._ I had nothing better to do so I tried to talk to Lyra. I repeated her name some more, each one getting faster and faster.

_Do you have anything better to do than to annoy me with your voice?_ Her snide response resonated through my mind.

I hadn't expected it and managed to miss my invisible ball so I leapt to the side to catch it before I remembered it wasn't real.

_That's sad._

_What? You can see that?!_

_You thought it, I can hear it._

_So you can hear all my thoughts?_

She made an indecisive sound which was considerable strange since it was in my mind.

_I can hear and—com—prehend most of the stuff in someone's mind. I sometimes forget about that whole invasion of privacy thing._ There was a pause in conversation. _Did you want something or are you looking to play tennis with your ghost ball?_

_We need to escape._

_I know. I've been here a week or so and I haven't found a better opportunity than when you arrived._

I thought for a moment before replying. I never really had to plan something like this before. We'd need to get word out to the other demigods. We need the times of guard shifts, location, the agents Jones and Smith whereabouts, and what to do when we get out. Lyra forgot about boundaries in my mind.

_I agree. Meet me during lunch and we'll discuss the specifics. I can contact most of the demigods in our level but not the ones in the stalks._

_The stalks?_

_My word for where the "bad'" ones go._ A few seconds later, flashes of images hit me. Clarisse was smacking around some guards. She fought them off with their own weapons, and she was doing good until Agent Jones came up behind her and cut off blood and oxygen flow to her brain. She collapsed to the ground and was promptly taken through a door with an elevator going down.

_I see you've payed close attention?_

_Shrug. I'm more observant than people give me credit for. I just never had an idea as to how to use it._

_I might have one._


	2. Conditioning

**Chapter 2**

**Percy P.O.V.**

**=-Day Five-=**

It had been three days since I had been taken, or so it seemed. Lyra had given me all of her information and had begin spreading the word of revolution. Sadly, more and more half bloods were brought in as time passed. But out of all of the new arrivals, there were no children of Athena as far as I could tell. I was unbelievably happy Annabeth wasn't taken, though also upset because she was who I wanted to see the most. She's the one we needed to stage an escape. All I had to go on we're the spy movies I've watched.

There were no magical creatures like satyrs or nymphs either. I guess they would be harder to catch.

"What I don't get, is why the mist doesn't effect them," stated an angry Michael Yew, who had been brought in a day prior. He ferociously looked between our group. Since I had arrived, myself and Lyra had been searching for allies, which currently included Michael Yew, Katie Gardner, Travis and the recently abducted Connor Stoll, Pollux, Chris Rodriguez, and Jake Mason. Lyra was part of our group, but she usually dropped in randomly. Like during the discussion in Free Hour.

"Maybe their clear sighted?" suggested Katie. The others shook their head before she even finished speaking.

"They can't all be clear sighted. Even having Rachel and my mom in the same city is rare." I said.

"Jones and Smith could be the only clear sighted? The others could be told something like we're aliens and need to be observed?" Lyra proposed.

Michael and Chris rolled their eyes. They had not taken to Lyra's conspiracy theory, quirky personality. Also when she revealed her mind trick, they had avoided her uneven eyes. I nodded and started branching off the idea.

"That actually makes sense." The two glared at me, "not the alien part. That's absurd, but the two clear sighted and interpreting the vision and everything. Dr. Calder has to be clear sighted, too. She read my file saying I was the son of the sea god." I turned to Lyra. "Could you look into their mind and check it out." Lyra was already shaking her head.

"I don't read minds. It's complicated."

"You've done the mind reading to me."

Again another head shake.

"That's different, not mind reading. I tried doing it to blue hands and can't get anything. But glimpsing into the guards head..." She grinned deviously. "Let's just say I gleaned interesting facts from their peanut brains."

"Like?" Michael prodded. As much as he didn't like her, he wanted to get out of the prison as soon as possible.

"No location or anything like that, but I do know that Jones and Smith are just the foot soldiers waiting for orders." She shrugged and continued drawing on her arm. She liked to do that when we had Free Hour, her arms lined with weird symbols and drawings. "What about the gods? Shouldn't they have intervened by now? It's been going on for a month now, demigods being snatched in the middle of the night."

All of the faces slipped into sadness and fury.

"Maybe they're trying," Katie said numbly. No one responded. They didn't have the heart to admit the gods had forgotten their promise only a month after it was made. Our group had to disperse when the buzzer beeped. We were herded out of the reck room, same as every other place but with pens and cards, and into the bland halls. We split off into groups and into different classrooms.

After a few days, I got used to the order of things. Breakfast, then bedroom for an uncountable amount of time, lunch, free hour, classroom, dinner. And somewhere in there was a random doctor's appointment.

The classroom was a little different from the other rooms. The walls were still white, but on the back wall was a double sided mirror, confirmed by Lyra's mind-wanderings, and the front was an ever-changing unknown. It was quite large, almost like a plane hanger with miscellaneous objects always blocking the end of the gym, preventing any size estimate. It reminded me of the warehouse from that show I saw once, the one with magic artifacts. Thirty assigned places at the end the room generally faced the muscled, navy seal teacher. He was in his mid forties, shaved head, rock shaped head, and no tolerance for disobedience or talking. In Hal's book, we were supposed to stand at attention and listen.

Since I was a known troublemaker, my place was in the middle and front row. Close enough to see the veins popping out of his bulging biceps. Lets just say too close for comfort. Today, he came in with his usually roughness and glared at us.

"Attention!" He had the stupid routine of making us salute him. He gave a curt nod and "allowed" us to relax. He taught us drills, orders and how to follow them, and discipline. Basically, follow his orders or get pummeled. "Today, we will be doing something else." He paused and let a maniacal smile spread across his block jaw. "Today, we will be doing survival games. Fail to survive means you fight in the ring. Got it?" It was rhetorical.

"Mismatch, step up!"

Lyra stepped forward with a death glare.

Instead of remembering our names, Hal had attributed personalities or physical qualities as nicknames. Lyra was Mismatch for her eyes. Katie was Buttercup cause she was a flower that was squash-able. I was Emerald but was also the only one he bothered to learn a last name for. He liked calling the guys by girl names.

"You're gonna start us off with being the first of your side. Emerald, first up for yours. See that course? You beat the person across from you and get a point. Team with the highest amount of points survive." He pointed to the obstacle course in front of us then pushed us in front of a white line. Everyone else lined up behind us, ready for a sprint. He blew a whistle.

The first obstacle was a twenty foot climbing wall, the grips were the three cm slats between the boards. Without shoes it hurt, but it was easier to fit your toes in and get more leverage. I pulled myself up managed to climb it in good time. Lyra was right next to me and frowned. Instead of turning around and climbing down that way, I dropped and rolled, jarring my feet a bit. I sprinted off from a crouch.

The second obstacle didn't seem hard until I got a staff to the midriff. Holes in the ground and makeshift walls revealed to have quarter staffs in them that struck out randomly. I took one step to the left and tried again. My unprotected foot was crushed by one a centimeter thick. If it weren't for the curse of Achilles, I wouldn't have been able to walk. Turns out, I could still hurt like hell. Even without someone walking, the sticks flew out and struck empty places. I glanced back in time to see Lyra roll into a run. She didn't have the patience to climb down, I guess.

She took one look at the obstacle and began navigating the minefield. I watched awestruck as she gracefully danced out of the reach of every striking staff. To rub it in, Lyra waved and blew a kiss at the other side.

After what felt like an attack from a hive of angry killer bees, I passed through unscathed. _Why couldn't the curse work on pain too_, I thought sorely. I shook off the stinging and focused on the task. I didn't want to be in the ring. Failing here had a worse punishment than a punishment in school. The ring was a tournament of the strongest. Demigods fought each other, no rules, ends only when the other person could not physically fight back.

_Duck, now!_

I ducked and the last of the evil sticks of death swung at my throat. If I had gotten hit by that, and I didn't have the curse, that would. A straight, powerful hit to the jugular could deprive someone from oxygen long enough to loose consciousness. I growled and dug my nails in as I thought of Coach Hal's sneering laugh. He wanted people to get hit by that. He wanted them to get hurt.

Breathe. Breathe, I forced myself to breathe and to catch up to Lyra. She was actually waiting for me by the end of the hall.

Next was advanced monkey bars. We actually had to go through a different door to reach it. The floor gave out to a fifty foot drop, and the only way to reach the end of the exercise was through ropes and bars. They were spread apart and nasty looking. One mistake could be brutal.

I sucked in a breath then ran to the edge, getting as much power as I could. I sailed through the air until I grasped a rope and bar, the rope hook between my arms. The bar rattled from my impact but held steady. I grunted while securing my legs on the bar then proceeding to tie the rope around my waist. Now secure, I regained my hand grip on the monkey bars and swung my legs, propelling me to the next bar about a foot away. I looked around, searching for my next move, but there were no more ropes or bars close enough to reach. One hand after the other, I swung to face the bar I had just left.

"I could swear that was closer before." The bar now seemed to be about two and a half feet away. "Lyra!" I called. She risked a glance over but was rewarded with slipping when the rope she was hanging onto moved five feet to the left. Now she was two feet to my right.

"Hi, Percy." She nodded awkwardly, slipping a few centimeters down her rope. She regrouped and shimmied a little higher. "Nice weather we're having, huh?"

"I prefer rain." I risked holding on with one hand and wiped the sweat off the other one. Two more kids, each with welts the size of tennis balls, stumbled at the door. They seemed to notice us hanging and looked like they were debating ditching the rope swings. I turned back to Lyra who was watching me keenly. "What?"

"I was just admiring your life line." She wrapped her wrist up around the rope, repeating the action with her opposite leg. "Would you mind dropping for a sec?"

I only _had_ a second to drop because she swung with incredible force and speed, sending her into the bar I was so recently clutching. She released the rope, swung her legs to the bar, and circled the bar to end up with her arms locked and the bar at her waist. Balancing her feet on the bar, she readied herself for a leap of grace.

"Wait. Lyra!" She leapt for the bar two feet away. Good news: she reached the bar. Bad news: I heard a sick crack, oomph, and she fell to only one hand grasping the bar. She twisted and jerked but managed to strengthen her hold with her second hand. Seeing she was relatively safe, I shimmied up my rope in time to catch the bar, which flew to the other side of the gym.

Lyra reached the end seconds before myself. I felt a sinking feeling as I realized I might have to fight in the ring. But five minutes later proved the tally to end up on my side by three points. No one fell off the monkey bars, but practically everyone had welts and possibly a broken toe from the staves. Katie was leaning heavily on Travis, who had a nasty bruise forming on his temple. Hal was smiling like a Fury.

"You," he pointed to the losing team, "I will see you after dinner. And you," he pointed at my team, "congratulations on surviving. Get to your rooms!" He cackled as we lumbered from the hanger.

Guards opened the gym doors, and we limped out. The entire C group, thirty of us, slowly shambled to our separate rooms, depressed. Lyra, C23, tugged on my shirt, her gaze fixed on a guard. Suddenly, she stopped walking and punched me in the face, hard. I was too startled to react, but heard an incessant voice, _just go with it._

"You bastard! Your team only won because they were uneven teams!" I wasn't sure what was happening and stood stupidly in the hall. No one, actually knew what was going on. I furrowed my brow and looked at her incredulously.

"What?" I shouted. I figured she wanted to make a ruckus if she already hit me. Even if I didn't know what was going on, I was going to make a big deal out of _whatever_ it was.

_Throw me into the guard._

"Teams? You blame your failings on uneven teams then? Wow, didn't know you were that low, _Mismatch_." I sneered.

She pushed me back but managed to direct a nod at the guard she had been watching. I got the message and sent her flying into the guy. Demigods were startled and started pulling us apart before the guards could restrain us. They had no idea what was going on, but since it was me, they knew we were working on a plan. Drew, daughter of Aphrodite, stood in the way of the guard on the other side.

"We're okay. No need to interfere."

I could feel her charm speak working at full capacity. This time her charm speak worked, maybe because it was smaller and they weren't expecting it. She had tried asking them to let us go before, but the men had shoved her away laughing.

The guard nodded but ordered us to hurry along.

Before she disappeared into her room, I saw a flicker of plastic reflecting the hall light in Lyra's palm.

* * *

**=-Day Eight-=**

"Good to see you again, Percy." Dr. Calder greeted me with a smile. She seemed to have recovered from my threat. She had her thin face covered by a clipboard, but, when she lowered it, she was smiling.

"You seem very pleased with yourself." My arms and legs were in the hospital restraints again. I guess my outburst hadn't helped that situation.

"I have the results from your bracelet." I tried to hide the fear I felt in the pit of my stomach. "They show an unbelievable bond between your skin pigments. Magical some would say," she suggested. I frowned and shook my head. Calder frowned in reply. "Can we make a deal, Percy?"

"Sure." I said. Dr. Calder smiled, "let all of us go, and I'll just burn your organization to the ground."

Her smile fell. "I was thinking more of a question and answer for special privileges?" She said, raising her eyebrows slightly. I clenched my jaw and looked away. "Last time you mentioned your mom? You could call her?"

I caught my breath, heart beating rapidly. "What questions?"

Calder smiled maternally. She leaned forward and unlocked the restraints.

"How about we start with your invincibility?"

"No!"

Calder jumped back quickly. When she realized I didn't move, she settled back down on her stool.

"Okay, okay. How about—your powers?" I shook my head. "Fine. All you have to do is say yes? Okay? Greek mythology is real?"

"Yes."

"_Everything_ in greek mythology—the monsters, the titans, the gods, the demigods— it all happened?"

"Yes."

"Including the heroes?"

"Yes." I had hesitated before answering, guessing where these questions were heading.

"Including Achilles?"

"Yes."

Calder wrote something on her clipboard so I rushed to throw her off. "But the stories aren't all true."

"How so?"

"They lied. The gods, especially _heroes_, lied about everything. Exaggerated. Um, Hercules was not as bulky as the pictures. Achilles? He was barely twenty and was only invincible because—"

"—His mother dipped him in the Styx. You swore on it the last time we met, didn't you?" She was staring intently at me. "Does it really exist?"

I found my loop-hole. I nodded. "In the underworld. Only the dead can go there."

"But Hercules went there? Orpheus almost retrieved his wife from the underworld."

I wracked my brain. I have to find an excuse, I thought. If they figured out it was the curse, then they could find my Achilles heel.

"Hercules was more god than human." Not sure if that was _true_, but Disney said it was so... "And Orpheus was the child of the muses. Not human or demigod."

"But it's possible for one to go to the underworld and not be dead?"

"Eh, I wouldn't know. I haven't really had an urge to try it."

Calder shifted, obviously annoyed. She stood abruptly and strutted out of the room. I took a moment and hesitated but surged forward and, as quietly as humanly possible, riffled through her papers. There were folders on everyone in the facility. Even them on other campers. One name in particular stood out from the rest.

**Annabeth Chase**

**Age:** _16_

**Godly Parent:** _Athena, goddess of wisdom_

**Mortal Parent: **_Frederick Chase_

**Address:** _15 Bays Lane, San Francisco_

**Current Location:** _last seen in New York City_

**Abilities: **_increased intelligence. Others unknown._

**Known Items/Weapons:** _bronze dagger, Yankee hat._

**Other:** _ran away when seven years of age, location unknown during runaway years, at least 9 camp beads. Dyslexia. ADHD. Interest in architecture._

And her medical records, school records, and birth certificate were there as well. Rage built up within me but I forced it down and went back through the files. I could hear Calder speaking with someone but I didn't know who.

**Nico DiAngelo**

**Age:** _unknown. 13 or 14_

**Godly Parent: **_Hades, god of the underworld_

**Mortal Parent:** _Maria DiAngelo_

**Address: **_unknown_

**Current Location: **_unknown_

**Abilities: **_unknown. Possible necromancy._

**Known Item/weapon:** _Unknown_

**Other:** _only records of a son of a Maria DiAngelo, who died in apartment explosion, disappeared during World War II. ADHD. Dyslexia._

I smiled at Nico's unknowns. Each one of the reports was signed by a Elizabeth "Liz" Calder. Two folders caught my eye. My own and Lyra Thorn.

My file was fairly full. The powers were mostly unknown or possible hydrokinesis and invincibility. Under weapons there was one word. Pen. I laughed out loud at that, slapping my hand over my mouth a second too late. The talking stopped.

I slammed the file shut and back in place, somehow silently, and flipped back onto the patient's chair. Liz Calder entered the room brusquely. She glanced at me then the files. Seeing nothing wrong, she nodded towards the door.

"You're done for today."

"Don't I get that phone call?" I hadn't expected it so when she pursed her lips and shook her head vehemently I didn't feel too bad. I still felt horrible but not as low as possible.

* * *

**=-Day Nine-=**

After another Dr. Calder visit, I had free time. Free time sucked. All we did during free time was talk about why the people can see through the mist, where the gods were, plan to get out. It was depressing. The plans were half-baked, and there were no answers. I also wasn't the only one who found Calder to be painstakingly accurate in her guessing. Also guards had started to notice the meetings. Now, we had to rotate who could sit with us. Lyra didn't even sit with us at all. She listened through the thing she persisted wasn't mind reading.

We couldn't even count the guard shifts accurately. We were able to round off the timing to about every two hours and ten minutes, guards would come and replace every old one. That wasn't the problem. The problem was Jones and Smith. Randomly, they have been showing up and bringing kids to special tests.

We would ask the kids what the tests were, but each one was different. It pushed them to their limit. Drew went last night. She explained they took her to a room. First it was a recording of her voice. They had told her to charm speak into the mic. Once they recorded some basic commands, they put through an audio to one person, then another, then another, and they observed how many she could charm, how long, and how forcefully. By the end she had collapsed and woken up in her room.

I was so furious I couldn't stand it. My vision flashed and I found myself moving across the room. I didn't care if the guards noticed, but I stalked up to Lyra and hissed to her as quiet as I could.

"A couple of days ago, you said they wanted us for them. What did you mean?"

She glared at me like I was interrupting something and hissed back, "I told you. They wanted us. I don't know what for, but they don't just want us locked up. They want our strengths."

"Then figure it out! What's the point of being able to read minds if all you do is talk to me?" I snarled. I didn't care I was biting her head off. I wanted to be out of the governments clutches. There was an eight year old who won't stop crying for his mom. An eighteen year old who is failing out of high school and probably won't graduate because of this escapade. I angrily flipped away from Lyra and grabbed Michael by the shirt. "No more talk. We have to get everyone out. Now, either help plan or shut up and stay out of the way." No one messed with my friends and got away with it. I was going to burn the "Academy" to the ground.

But my rage storm couldn't go unnoticed forever. One of the guards, Roger, stepped forward and rested his hand on his gun.

"Free time is over. Get back to your rooms. And you," he jabbed a finger at me. "Watch your temper, boy."

"What ever you say, boss." I sneered at the man and mock bowed him. The guard lashed out, punching my stomach, and continued to drag me out of the room. He threw me into my room, and left me to sizzle out and kick the door until I bled. Figuratively speaking, of course.


	3. Fugitive

**Chapter 3**

**Annabeth P.O.V.**

I saw them before they saw me. I had travelled to New York City via the Grey Sisters because I was heading to camp. I had heard stories of missing demigods, reports of mass kidnapping a on the news. I needed to make sure Seaweed Brain didn't go missing too. When I had been in San Francisco, I had noticed men following me. Men in black suits. I started to feel paranoid and so came the camp field trip.

I was walking towards Percy's apartment complex when I saw men standing outside of the door. I ducked into the alley I was passing before they noticed me.

Two men, both smoking, were watching the streets, apparently really bored. A bulge in the jacket revealed the size of a government issue hand pistol. They must be watching Sally. Maybe waiting for Percy to come home? I doubted it.

Flipping my Yankees cap on, I easily slipped passed the agents and up the stairs to Percy's apartment. I knocked nine times, three short knocks, three longer knocks, and three short ones. The door opened a crack revealing a sliver of salt and pepper hair, a blue eye, and a black bathrobe. Paul Blofis's eye zipped around, searching for the knocker. I cleared my throat softly, and Paul's eye widened. He opened the door a sliver more.

"Annabeth?" He whispered. I cleared my throat again, and he casually turned around and closed the door, though the latch never locked. I slipped in like a shadow and silently shut the door. "Sally," called Paul, "can you come here a moment? I have a gift for you." I heard a sniffle and the shuffling of feet. Sally Jackson slowly made her way into the living room. I felt a sinking feeling as I saw the state of her. Eyes bloodshot, nose red, hair as a rat's nest, and a bathrobe almost worn into oblivion. I took off my hat and ran to Sally. She brightened a bit when she saw me and fresh tears, tears of relief, fell down her cheeks. She embraced me tightly as if I would slip away right before her eyes.

"Thank the gods you're safe, Annabeth." She took my face in her hands and looked me over. Paul came behind me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Have you seen Percy? Has he contacted you? Is he at camp?" She was so hopeful, I hated to destroy her only life line. My bare expression took a deep toll. She began to cry anew, and Paul held her. She was so strong. Something _really_ bad must have happened. Sally couldn't speak so Paul began to explain.

"We haven't seen Percy since ten days ago. A day after he went missing, these men in black suits came to us. They asked us about things. Things they shouldn't know."

"Are they from the government?"

Paul nodded.

"First these two men came, they were practically identical. Both of them wore blue gloves and black suits. They asked about Percy, the recent vandalism of Manhattan," he paused and glanced at the door, "the greek gods."

"They couldn't know. The mist prevents large groups of people from knowing about the true nature! Even if the mist fails, which it never does, the gods take care of it!"

Paul just ruefully shook his head. I stood abruptly, abrupt enough to startle Sally out of her daze.

"Annabeth, honey, where are you going?"

"Olympus. I need a word with the gods. Then I'm going to camp, Chiron has to know something."

"No. It's too dangerous. The men in black, they know about camp, and I'm willing to bet they know about the Empire State Building, too."

I shook my head.

"Even if they _do_ know, which is a slim possibility, they can't enter Olympus. Or camp. The boundaries prevent that." I took out my invisibility cap. "Plus, they won't be able to see me."

Sally stood and took my hand. "Promise me that you will be careful."

"I promise."

She nodded and hugged me briefly. I turned to leave taking the handle. Before opening the door, I slipped on my hat and felt their usual tingling feeling as the invisibility washed over me. I opened the door.

"And Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Find him." It wasn't a question but I still answered.

"I will."

* * *

The grand foyer to Olympus was still under construction but was looking amazing. Or it would if there were more people around. More than just me. Silver and gold cobble stones covered the floor of the foyer and made pathways to the Veteran Garden and up to the Palace. Giant bonsai trees the shapes of greek symbols and animals lined the main path while a marble base lead the visitors to the garden dedicated to those who died during the Battle of Manhattan. Names with birth dates, death dates, and their parents were etched into silver teardrop plates draped from trees, on the back of the platelets were the pictures of the deceased. All of them were smiling. I had spent an entire week just designing the plates alone. The trees were Grover's idea. Even the nature spirits were given a place in the Garden, the sprouts and seeds that were the nature spirits now bore the silver drawings.

I hurried up the Main Street to the Palace. I met no one. Saw no one. I didn't even hear a bird song. I stopped at a house that I knew was occupied by Adamanthea, the nymph who nursed baby Zeus. Nothing was disturbed. It was just...empty.

The palace was even more depressing. No one was tending to the flames of the hearth. No little girl in a brown dress.

I walked over to my mothers throne. I touched the legs of it, flashes of being thrown into the stone, Luke begging for the knife, for death. I wiped away a tear and looked at the throne and made a split second decision. Finding foot holds in the white marble olive branches embedded in the stone, I climbed the fifteen feet. I had expected to feel vibrations of the raw power, feeling heat waves, but I felt nothing. The gods were just—gone.

"That's impossible." I descended about five feet then jumped the rest, rolling at the impact. I ran out of the throne room, to the peak of the acropolis. Right to the edge, I screamed, "HELLO! IS ANYONE OUT THERE?" Not even an echo. Guess she was on a Holliday, too. I waisted no time but flew down through the village, smashing the button to the bottom floor. I growled impatiently as the floor numbers ticked by. "Come on. Come on!" The mirror in front of me showed a crazed gleam in my eyes, my cheeks flushed, hair in a wild pony tail.

They met me in the lobby, two men in suits. They weren't the ones Paul spoke of. They didn't have blue gloves. It must have been under observation. I guess an elevator button pushing itself was a little suspicious, not to mention it going to a non existing floor. First they saw me, confirmed it was me, then pointed and threw their coffee cups to the side. I momentarily forgot about my cap and ran out the front door. They gave chase.

"Hey, you, stop!" They yelled to me as I pushed pedestrians out of the doorway, out of my way.

"Fat chance!" I yelled back. I was in the streets by then, rushing through the lawyers, doctors and sales clerks. I had the advantage. I may not know New York like Percy did, but I knew my way around and I was smaller and could maneuver the crowds easier. I chanced a glance back and saw the suits get held up by a family of five. They were yelling something about agents perusing a suspect and calling for back up. Ahead of me, I saw movement of more black suits. Next to me, the cars had just gotten a green light and they rushed into moving. There was no hold up of traffic for once. I calculated the risks of getting past the suits, even with my invisibility cap, I'd get jostled around so much I could lose it. Then I calculated the speed of the cars. I chose the cars.

I never really liked to play frogger, but now I wish I had. Real life frogger isn't as fun as the game and you don't have extra lives and a restart button. The first car only honked, but the second slammed into my outstretched hands, the driver flipping me off and yelling at my stupidity. One car to go, a double decker. The suits were following me, almost past the second car. A hand reached for my hood, but I jumped past the bus at the last second and whipped out my cap. As soon as I was past the bus and out of sight of the suits, I became invisible. I heard yells of frustration but kept running, taking care not to bump anyone and give away my direction.

* * *

I didn't stop running until I reached Central Park. By the time I reached it, I was wheezing so hard I practically fell over. The stitch in my side burning a hole in my body. I needed a friendly face and last I heard he was watching over seedlings. I kept my cap on, not trusting my solitary findings. I knew it was a side affect of being hunted, but no one could help being paranoid in this type of situation. In the middle of the park, I found a tree, whose branches touched many different trees.

"_Χαρεια_, Dryad, _please find Lord Grover of the wild_?" I asked in Ancient Greek. A face formed out of the oak, a girl who looked about twelve. She blinked her pure green eyes a few times and yawned.

"Why would I help you?" Her eyes moved around, "wherever and whoever you are." I hadn't bothered taking my invisibility cap off.

"I need him. Something's wrong and I need to talk to him."

"I don't—"

"Just tell him Annabeth Chase needs to talk to him. Tell him Percy's missing." She looked peeved, but the dryad slipped back into her tree, the leaves rustling against each other. Figuring she'd take a few minutes to find him, I searched for a clear spot by the fountain spray. One drachma lighter and the IM opened to a black and red room. It was tall with buttresses and curtains hanging over the four poster bed. A fourteen year old boy with long black hair was sitting on the floor in front of a black and green flamed fire. Nico was painstakingly sharpening his black sword, the blade catching the light, making shows with the colors.

"Nico!" I yelled. Nico jumped up, sword pointing up, and whirled around. Finally, he caught sight of the daylight and wandered over. He searched the oval for a few moments.

"Hello?"

"Nico, its me."

"Me who?" He asked tentively. I growled impatiently, having temporarily forgotten about my baseball hat. "Annabeth?" I knocked off the hat and became visible. Nico smiled and waved.

"Yes, it's me. Where are you?"

"My room at my father's palace." He paused. "What do I owe you for this rare call?"

"I'll explain in a moment. I need Grover to come first." Nico nodded and tapped his sword awkwardly. We had never really talked one on one before and now was not a good time to talk about myth-o-magic.

Grover came galloping out of the trees about seven awkward minutes later. He tackled me in a great big hug. He smelled of pine needles. He bleated greetings and tried to catch up, but I cut him off.

"We don't have time, Grover. I think—I think the government has Percy." Grover turned pale, Nico looked equally shocked and almost dropped his sword. He leaned against his bed pole and sat down. Before they began to ask questions, I told them everything I knew: the men with blue gloves, Olympus's emptiness, and the suits that came close to catching me.

"I—I can't believe it," muttered Grover finally. They had taken the news in silence. "I heard that some demigods weren't showing up to their houses or places they were supposed to be, but I thought it was repercussions of the war and monsters. I didn't think they were being _kidnapped_!" Grover slapped his head, slumping to the ground.

"You had no reason to think that, Grover," I tried to console him.

"But where are the gods?" Inquired Nico. "I mean there aren't many places they can be."

"What about Hades? Is he not there?"Nico replied in the negative, "No, he didn't vanished but went away a few weeks ago. I figured it was god business. And we know the gods aren't dead. People are still dying so Thanatos and Hermes are still taking the souls to the underworld." I shrugged and sat by Grover.

"Have you checked camp?" Nico asked. I shook my head.

"I wanted to talk to you two first. And I haven't heard anything from Chiron. I would've thought he would contact me if he noticed something was wrong." It was Grover's turn to console me. Nico's cheeks burned and he turned away. He never was the touchy feely type.

"You two should go to camp, check it out. I'll meet you there soon, after I pay a little visit to my underworld contacts. How bout at my cabin?"

I nodded and looked to Grover for confirmation. He agreed. I told Nico to avoid public scenes and men in black and to be on high alert. He wished us luck and waved away the IM. Grover nodded to me and set off out of the park.

* * *

I hated going by the Grey Sisters, but the way things were going, I didn't trust mortal transport and we needed to get to camp and fast. I paid them with the last of my drachmas and bolted out of the car and up the hill. Peleus, the dragon, was alert and growling, but he stopped once he recognized us. I scratched his neck as I walked by, slowing my pace, dreading what we'd see.

From what I could tell, the boundaries around camp were still in place and working. The Golden Fleece hung on Thalia's pine. No burning buildings. There weren't campers running around either. It was as empty as Olympus. Grover nudged me forward and together we walked down into the valley.

"Nico said he'd meet us at his cabin. Ready?"

"I want to look around first. Meet at the Hades cabin in fifteen?" I suggested.

Grover wasn't happy but agreed. First I checked the big house. Chiron's room was empty. It looked as if he was just out in the archery fields or watching combat practice, but there was no sign of anyone. Rachel wasn't in her spare bedroom, but she was probably at her finishing school. Mr. D wasn't in his room either.

I was starting to feel a burning feeling in my stomach, a falling sensation in my gut. My breaths shortened and I took one every ten seconds, my heart racing. They couldn't have come here too. It's impossible. This is my home. They can't come here. I didn't pay attention to where I was walking. Out of the big house and down to the cabins. The sun was about an hour and a half from setting. I came up behind the cabins, right at Cabin 11. I was so distracted with my sinking thoughts I didn't notice the thick, club-like thing that sailed out and smacked me on the forehead. The next thing I knew was the sun setting far too quickly.

"Is she dead?"

"Course she's not dead. Her eyes are moving, idiot."

"You hit her too hard!"

I registered more than two voices, one female and two males. When I cracked my eyes open, I saw curly black spirals surrounding little horns. Grover cracked a smile and lent me a hand. A little too soon, I got to my feet. My head swam but I managed to stay upright. Once my vision cleared, I saw about fifteen kids looking at me. Grover, Thalia, and some of her hunters smiled warmly. Nico stood in the background, keeping to the shadows. One of the new campers, Tarek, avoided my eyes. A distinctly club-like bat held behind his back.

"I take it you hit me?"

He nodded sheepishly. I counted only a few demigods, about half of the group, and the rest were hunters.

"And you all know about the kidnapping?" I confirmed.

Lou Ellen nodded. "Almost got me, but I managed to get away and come here."

Most of the others chorused their close encounters. We exchanged all of our information about the attacks, though most of it we already knew.

"No ghosts or spirits," said Nico, "are aware of where the gods are or what's happening. Everything I asked said they'd never heard of a government doing this sort of thing." He shrugged. I looked at all of the campers, none were undetermined, a side effect of the promise Percy demanded. One girl stood out from the rest. Chloe was from New York and if I remembered correctly, her dad had a useful job.

"Chloe, your dad is a police officer, right?" She nodded slowly. "Does he know what was going on?"

"He... He doesn't know what was happening, but they arrested him for hindering agents of federal law. He was the reason I got away." She sniffled a moment but pulled herself together before she started to cry. Everyone was in low spirits, their siblings snatched away.

"Nico, your shadow travel. How does that work? Could you think of a person and go to them?"

Nico scratched his chin and played with the hilt of his sword. "Never tried that. But I'm pretty sure you have to have a location in mind."

"Fine, how about tracking spells, Grover, Lou?"

Lou closed her eyes and mouthed some words, but Grover just shook his head.

"The acorn locator wouldn't work with this..." His eyes brightened significantly, "Percy and I still have the empathy link! I could try to contact him that way!"

I nodded. "Then do that and quickly. Lou?"

Grover rushed off towards the forest.

"It might take a little time... And I'd need hair samples from them..." She shook her head. "It wouldn't work, sorry." She lowered her eyes and tried to hide the wetness slowly growing in them. I fought back my own sense of dread. These enemies aren't like monsters. We couldn't kill them. Our weapons wouldn't even _work_ on them.

"Well, there has to be _something_. We need to _do_ something. We can't just sit around and wait to get taken!" I looked into the dejected eyes of my friends. I couldn't see the hopelessness in their eyes any longer. "I need to think. Go get rest and set up a sentinel. Someone has to be on guard at all times."

They took the hint and rushed off, yelling orders at each other. Nico stayed where he was, watching me with his black eyes. Silently, he walked over and wrapped me in a hug. He had grown a lot since I met him. Now, he was taller than me, my head rested against his shoulder. Finally, I let the tears slip down my cheeks. I stayed there for a few minutes, taking comfort in the boy's arms. Slowly, I pulled away and wiped my tears.

"I think I have another way of finding him." He suggested. I didn't ask what it was but just nodded. "Get some rest."

**_COMMENT!_**


	4. Plans

**Chapter 4**

**Lyra P.O.V. Italic underline means someone else's thoughts**

**-=Day Twenty-two=-**

"Then figure it out! What's the point of being able to read minds if all you do is talk to me?" Percy snarled. I felt a pang behind my eyes and hardened my expression. He stalked away and grabbed Michael by the shirt.

_Idiot kid. What's he doing_? One of the guards stepped forward and rested his hand on his gun.

"Free time is over. Get back to your rooms. And you," he jabbed a finger at a fuming Percy. "Watch your temper, _boy_."

"What ever you say, boss." Percy sneered at the man and mock bowed him. That wasn't the right thing to do. The guard lashed out, punching his stomach, and dragged him out of the room. The other guards followed his example and shuffled us, the prisoners, into the hall. I moved ahead of the crowd, careful to show my cooperation. I stood back, inside my room, and smiled coyly as the door shut automatically. Two or three demigods were pushed past my window. Through the circle in my door, I couldn't see much at the angle. No guards were stationed right in front of me. Soaring out with my mind, I touched one mind that was red and harsh feeling. Thirty gold, light and innocent, minds weeped in their rooms. Percy's mind was practically screaming, blood curdling curses howled at the Academy and everyone in it. Slowly, his voice quieted and grew less furious.

_Lyra. Lyra, I'm sorry for snapping at you_. I ignored his apology and confirmed no guard could see me in my room. Gracefully flying to my bed, I slid my finger into my bed where I had made a slit in the lining. A plastic ID badge slid out. The badge was flat and rectangular, about three inches by one inch. There was a minuscule picture of the guard I had stolen it from, a magnetic strip lined both sides of the badge because of their updated security system. There were no scanners or number pads for the lock. Only a tiny slit in the wall where one would slide the slip into.

_Forty more minutes of this stupid watch. Why can't Smith and Jones use cameras like normal people?_ His thoughts came from a few feet left of my door, and he nudged something inside his shirt before deciding not to. I sucked in my breath and unlocked the door. It opened mechanically to its fullest. I felt the guards confusion and his thought process of moving to see why the door opened. He stepped into the doorway the exact moment I kicked my foot to the height of his head. There was a hollow crunch and he collapsed to the ground, no sign of my hitting him. I waisted no time and laid him against a wall, digging through his shirt to find the canister. A tiny bottle full of some kind of spirit.

"Shank oo very much," I mumbled as I poured it into his mouth. The guard coughed but swallowed the alcohol. I wrapped his hand around the bottle and pushed it back into his jacket. Stepping back to admire my handy work, it looked like he passed out trying to hide his liquor. I leered at him, said "Can I have the keys to the car?" and I snagged his keys. Closed eyes and fully open mind, the way to the empty office lit up like a treasure map. Calder or Jones / Smith? An abrupt decision brought me to the office of agents Smith and Jones. I jogged to my right, not before glancing into Percy's room. He saw me and ran to the door, mouthing something. I gave him a quick look and ran down the hall.

There weren't any moving patrols so I avoided being seen for the most part. My mind-wander wasn't fool proof but I had learned to block out pointless meander and only glean the relevant facts. Still some thoughts and memories seeped past my barriers and gave me a headache, but I stored it for later.

The guard's keys didn't work on the door to their office so I stuck a random card into the hole and kicked the door. The door sat there and mocked me with its closed-ness. I swore and figured out the pathway to the Doc's room. One key fit perfectly and opened the lock. I slipped in and flicked open the mini fridge door after shoving the stool under the handle. A soft glow emitted from the fridge, enough for me to see what I was doing but not enough to be seen from the hallway as significant. Hopefully.

There were files for hundreds of demigods, each detailed to the current estimated location. My file was under the T's. I pulled it out and set it on the floor but didn't open it. I wanted to read something I didn't know first. More files. The file cabinets were over stalked with them. Though none of them were helpful. Frustrated, I nearly threw them aside but I chided myself on my carelessness.

"Brother is always watching," I opened all of the file cabinets and replaced the files I had taken out. The drawer marked T caught on something, preventing it from opening all the way. I pulled harder. It opened half way then stopped. A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. I tore out the folders in the drawer. All names. I reached in. It was empty. There was about an inch between the floor and the bottom of the drawer so I ran my fingers along the bottom. A small switch clicked as my finger rested on it. A fat folder fell from the top of T, the top marked with a black strip. With sweaty palms, I opened it.

Results of medical examinations were laid out first, speculations on how to reproduce the demigod genes or strengths. Pictures of weapons and tactics designed for specific demigods. There were weapons that pressed the advantage of children of Ares, voice manipulators for charm speakers, plans for weapons for the Athena and Hephaestus kids to create, and others. There were training orders in fighting, covert standings, and killing. The reason for why the government was so interested in demigods.

"They want to make an army." The door to the medical office rattled. The outline of a man shadowed the foggy window. He turned to the side, flashing his profile into the office.

"Hey, Roger, help me get the door? Seems to be stuck." I threw the file back into T along with the rest of the files and knocked the stool out from the handle. I kicked the fridge shut and fell onto the chair, shutting my eyes seconds before the door crashed was a motion and a slapping sound.

"Stuck? What you—" the second guard, Roger, caught sight of me. I hoped my breathing looked rhythmical to their unadjusted eyes. Roger un clipped something from his belt and nudged my leg. "Hey, wake up, kid." I blinked a couple times and tried to act groggily.

"Whas goin'n?" I slurred.

Roger, a middle aged man with needy black eyes, narrowed his eyes at me.

"What are you doing in here?" He held his gun loosely in one hand. His partner stood in front of the door, blocking most of the light. "Lights out was half an hour ago." I swallowed, my mind whirring fast.

"Doc wanted me over night. Some sleep pattern test." I reached out with my mind. _Doc wanted her._ I almost believed I pulled off the lie, but... _Liz didn't come in today._ He moved rapidly, quick enough to catch me off guard. His gun connected with my cheek, sending me to the floor. I lost consciousness.

* * *

I woke with a migraine. Groaning as I rubbed my cheek, I pushed myself up. The room was made of a white soft cushion, tall enough for me to stand and wide enough for me to lie down and barely touch the opposite wall. A square window on the door. No bed.

"The stalks." Great. I slammed back against the wall and sank to the floor.

_This little piggy went to the market. This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef. This little piggy had none. And this little piggy is going to kill everyone in the Academy all the way home._

_Now, that's not very nice. _I felt Clarisse stiffen. She jumped to her feet and turned in circles. She vocally said something. _I'm your new next door neighbor. I have to admit, you're idea of fighting your way out of this place was good, brazen and foolish, but good._

She said something else, but I didn't know what it was. _I can't hear you, idiot. Just think it._

_Who are you?_

_You don't remember me? I'm hurt. We met the first day you came here. Also I'm a little shocked you haven't come back from the stalks. It's been nine days._

_I keep fighting them._

I snorted and rolled my eyes. _Leave it to a daughter of Ares to be as idiotic as possible._

_What's your name, bitch?_ Clarisse snarled.

_Lyra. You may remember my eyes. Most people do. I've been told their as beautiful as a sapphire and a jade._

_Great. I'm stuck down here and you're all I have to talk to?_

_Just shut up and let me talk. I know what they want. I told her about the file I saw, the reason they abducted us. We need to make sure they don't get it. Comprendo?_

_Do you have an idea how to get out?_

_Stop fighting them. Percy and the others have already calculated the guard shifts. Smith and Jones show randomly, but with enough of us we could take 'em._

_Well that's all good, but you're forgetting one thing._

_What's that?_

_You're stuck down here!_

_Leave that to me. When you get my signal, fight._ I closed my eyes and tried to dull my head ache. Random thoughts shattered through my barrier, and I had to completely lock my mind to block out basic thoughts.

* * *

I dreamt of a boy and a dog. The boy had long black hair and a black aviator jacket. He was sitting on top of the dog, which was a doberman the size of a garbage truck. It kept its nose to the ground, sniffing and pointing.

"What is it, girl? Do you smell him?" The boy slid off of the dog and landed lithely. At his side, he held a great, black sword. My astral body stood feet away from him. He was so young but so old. The boy shook his head and leaned against his dog.

"It's been two days, Mrs. O'Leary. I don't know where the Hell they'd have taken him."

Mrs. O'Leary humphed and whined ruefully. The boy rubbed her side and looked at the sky, the sun barely a sliver on the horizon. "I'd better hurry, shouldn't I, girl?"

O'Leary plopped to the ground in answer. She immediately started to snore, earning a small chuckle from the boy. He tapped the ground with his boots until he found a satisfying patch and raised his arms. One clap and the earth crumbled away to a small grave-like hole in the ground.

He began chanting in an ancient tongue and threw in some cokes and cole-cuts. Fog began cascading out of the grave, shadows converged around it, and shapes formed into blurry humans. The boy flicked his sword up. The effect was immediate. The shades hissed and writhed away from the steaming, black blade.

"I call forth J. Edgar Hoover. Only he may drink the sacrifice." The shades fell back, growling at the command. Only one ghost didn't move. "Are you John Edgar Hoover?" The ghost made an attempt to nod. Nico lowered the sword and allowed the ghost to drink. The shade soon became more human-like and fulfilled his bodies ghostly shape.

"What is it that you command, _Lord Nico_?" He hissed.

"I called you before."

"I believe so." Hoover said nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you come?" Nico scowled at Hoover's shrug. "Whatever. I need to find someone. He was taken by these men wearing blue gloves. Where would the government have taken lots of children? They'd be somewhere private and big. Probably isolated."

"What do I get out of it? I'm dead. Why should I care about your missing friends?" Hoover looked at his nails, pretending to file them. Nico snarled grabbed Hoover's jacket and held the blade to the ghost's throat.

"Tell me or go to Tartarus."

hoover gave Nico a sharp smile. "I seem to have remembered. Oh yes, it's coming back to me. Agent operatives. Nasty, trained things. They have been specifically trained for _unorthodox_ missions. I believe they have no emotions, removed and all. As for where they are. I wouldn't know. I made secret bases all over North America. Some even in Central America."

Nico snarled released his grip on the ghost's clothing.

"You're released from your duty, John Edgar Hoover." The ghosts dissipated into nothing but a slight mist over the dirt ground. Nico ran a hand through his charcoal hair. "Where are you, Percy?"

I tried to call out to the boy. _He knows Percy._ I opened my mouth but no sound came out. The dog, Mrs. O'Leary perked her ears and looked straight at me. She barked to get the attention of her master. Nico noticed but interpreted it falsely.

"What is it girl? Do you smell him?"

I kept trying to scream the same thing over and over again. I picked up a rock and hurled it at him. _Army! They want to make a bloody army!_

I was screaming it so loudly, I startled myself out of the dream. My voice was raw from screaming. The white room was hot from my tossing and turning. "Army."

* * *

I guessed it was a day later, although, like always, I couldn't be sure. The guard who had been with Roger fetched me from my cell and brought me to the Doc's office. She sat on the stool, tight lipped and angry. She told the guard, Todd, to stay in the room with us and told me to sit on the patient's chair.

"I heard you broke into my room?"

"I had a head ache." I said with a grin.

"What were you looking for?"

"I prefer Tylenol but any sort of painkiller would have done. Actually, I still have a bit of one. You couldn't show me where the pills are, could you?"

Calder slammed her hand on the table beside her. "If you don't tell me what you were looking for, I _will_ take drastic measures to find out _what_."

I pretended to gulp. "My file. I wanted to know what you had on me." I had seen enough government and espionage movies to know how to avoid interrogation.

Calder paled a bit, her eyes flashing to the drawer. _The test files. She—didn't..._ "And did you find anything interesting?"

I shook my head. "The guards came before I could even open the cabinet."

Calder breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to the guard. Guard Todd grabbed my arm, heaving me out of the office and to the Cafeteria room. The thirty prisoners all stared at me when I was brought in. _Probably the splotchy bruise on my cheekbone_, I smiled. I wrenched free of the vice grip, rambled over to the line, and filled a tray. I prepared myself for the indescribably painful migraine that was about to ensue in the next few minutes.

_Are you ready?_ I whispered to Percy. He nodded imperceptibly._ I told Clarisse to be ready for the signal. We just need to get it to her._

"What signal?" He asked over a bite of eggs.

_Think of something._

He paused, confused.

"You gonna eat that?" I picked up Percy's apple and hurled it at a guard when I knew none of them were looking. Percy dropped his fork and stared at me with disbelief.

"Which one of you rats threw that apple?" The guard yelled. He glared accusingly at the room. All demigods were silent with wide eyes. The guard sauntered through the tables and waved his nightstick around. Slowly, I raised my hand and pointed at Percy. The guard ran over and slammed Percy's head onto the table then heaved him up and out of the room. That was the only convenient thing about the guards: as long as they got to blame someone, they didn't care who actually did it.

I waited three minutes then hailed a second guard, Roger, over. Cautiously, he came over and bent down after I beckoned to whisper in his ear.

"This is for last night," I whispered and then proceeded to smashing the tray into his head. I jumped up and brought my fist into his cheek. To the entire room, I said, "Well? Why is everyone still standing here?"

MOREE


	5. Escape

**Chapter five**

**Percy P.O.V**

Two blank faced guards took me out of the cafeteria, taking a sharp right. I'd never been that way before, there was more hallway and turns and then an elevator. It was white, like everything else in the Academy. Four buttons: A, B, C, and Y. One guard hit Y then retook his grip on my forearm.

Y was made up of one corridor with ten doors with square windows. Only one of the doors, the third one on the left, had a red light at the top of the frames, every other one had a green light. I was led to the first cell. The blond guard let go of me again, intending to unlock the cell. The ginger guard held fast to my left arm.

"Guess what."

Ginger glared at me and stayed tight lipped.

"I'm right handed."

He got my meaning a moment to late. I swung my fist into his stomach then hooked it up under his chin. Ginge crumpled before Blondey even turned around. I punched at him with my right, but he blocked with both arms upraised. I kicked back his knee and drove my own knee into his face when he fell to the ground. I fumbled for the keys on the ground and unlocked Clarisse's door. She half smiled when she saw me standing in the doorway.

"I have a signal for you."

She laughed and clasped my forearm, and together we rushed back to the elevator and smashed the C button in. It was kind of awkward. Stuck in an elevator while making a great escape from a government run prison. Bing. I stepped out but Clarisse didn't move.

"Come one, we gotta go."

She shook her head. "I've got to get the other kids out of the other floors. I'll get B, you get A."

I bit my lip and looked behind me. "Okay, meet at Camp." I turned away then back as a last thought. "And don't get caught, Bacon head."

She cracked a smile. "Same with you, Newby."

I turned and ran down the halls. Kids were running around, attacking guards that were still conscious and a threat. One guard was banging on the window of a locked room. I noted with amusement it was Lyra's room. I grabbed Travis's arm as he ran by. "Trav, where's Lyra?"

"Don't know. She started bashing guards after you went down for Clarisse."

"Okay. I have to find her. You get all the kids out, there's an elevator down that hallway. Here take the keys," I shoved the guard's keys into his hand. "Clarisse is on level B. find a way out and meet at camp." He made to say something, but I yelled, "Go!"

He slapped my shoulder and started yelling commands to the kids in the hall. They listened and immediately reversed course. I shoved and forced my way through the crowd, only briefly stopping in my room for Riptide.

_Lyra!_ I called with my mind. I chose random paths. I had no idea what way she would have gone. Or if she went this way at all. Random might have been a theoretical term. I ran back to the Doc's office. I wanted to get some files and burn the rest.

The door, when I got there, was slightly ajar. Doctor Calder was frantically shoving files into a backpack.

"Ehh, what's up, Doc?"

She flipped around, holding a taser out in front of her.

"Percy," she said, "what are you doing? You can't seriously think you're going to get away with this?" She tried to hide the fear in her voice.

"We are leaving. You will never have demigods to experiment on—_ever—again_." I nodded to the backpack she was failing to hide behind her back. "What's in the backpack? Files? Files on this place and the people you kept in here?"

She shook her head repeatedly.

"No. No, it's—no. Please, you don't want to do this."

"I told you the first day I met you. I am going to burn this place to the ground. But you don't have to be part of it. Come with me and help me bring it down."

She shook her head but more slowly. She glanced at her feet then nodded once.

"The man who started it. His name's Marius B—" The doctor's head flew back. A single shot fired into her head. No mistake in hesitating this time, I drew Riptide but also stepped away from the door and grasping the stool. Jones lowered his gun. I knew it was Jones because I had perfected my judgement of them. Jones was slightly uglier and fatter than Smith.

"Poor Doctor. She should have known her loyalties." He came forward, and I raised my sword. He grinned maliciously and pushed the blade away, striking rapidly with his unarmed fist. Two thoughts were faster than that one strike. One: he touched the blade. The other: swing.

Jones had underestimated me. He underestimated my speed. He underestimate my strength. And he underestimated how much hatred I held for him and his associates. He didn't believe I would kill him, but he wasn't human anymore. He was more monster than human, and celestial bronze could harm him.

I didn't give him one more glance than I had to. I confirmed he was dead and snatched the pack with the files in them. A fat file with a black strip was already in it. I grabbed my file and Lyra's, mostly out of curiosity, but ruined the rest. I found every chemical I could and poured them on the papers and watched as the papers shriveled up into unreadable mush. I left Dr. Calder's office for the last time and ran down a corresponding hallway.

Turning the corner, I saw Lyra fighting two guards. The first guard charged, taser extended. Lyra did not hesitate but caught the arm and twisted it, forcing him to drop the lightning box. She attacked with quick jabs to his arm, disabling it. Twirling and clipping the second guy on the shoulder.

She brutally out skilled them with her strength and speed. One guard's knee, the man with the dead arm, was dislocated and flung over her shoulder. The last standing guard held his gun out although it was shaking uncontrollably. Knocking away but holding onto the gun hand, her elbow connected with the guard's nose, she twisted the arm and went back to back, grabbing the other elbow crook and flipping him to the floor. The gun outstretched in Lyra's hand. She pistol whipped his temple, the guard crumpling into unconsciousness.

I stood dumbstruck, unsure if the scene was true. The demigod turned, suddenly aware of my presence.

"Come on, Jackson!" She ran down the hallway and chose seemingly random pathways. Her hunches were right and brought us to an elevator. An orderly was slamming the elevator buttons repeatedly. He faced us, his face contorted with fear. Lyra held the gun at him, and I ran to him and punched his lights out. The door opened for us.

"Seems like the fates like us," I mumbled. "Finally." I pressed the button labeled A, hoping it meant A floor. Clarisse better get the B level out. I was breathing heavily, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I heard a click beside me. Lyra was pulling the gun, dropping the clip and checking it, then cocking it. "_Little talents_?" I asked her furiously. "Since when is beating men twice your size senseless a _little talent_?"

Instead of answering me, Lyra shoved me against the elevator wall and pressed herself against the opposite just as the elevator doors binged open.

As soon as the doors were fully open, automatic guns fired. Bullet holes tore at the once untarnished wall. The firing died down to a minimum, though some shots were still fired.

"What do we do?" I yelled. More firing ensued. In answer Lyra looked over the edge, barely letting half her face out in the open.

She turned her face away, covering it with her arm. Rapidly, she fired without looking. Four shots. _That's not possible_. I had to confirm my suspicions. Glancing around the elevator, the four men who had been so recently trying to kill us were lying on the ground. Their blank eyes staring with disbelief.

"Their—" I cleared my throat. "Their dead."

"You've fought in a war. You've obviously seen a dead body before."

"But I avoided _killing_ when I could! I didn't want to kill them!"

Her eyes blazed furiously. "They _abducted_ you! Us! They took us from our homes, and you want to save them?"

"No, I—"

"I heard you. You swore you'd burn them to the ground!" She turned away and ran to the nearest electrical pad. She covered her eyes and smashed it with the gun butt. The wires short circuited and spurt sparks, but it had the desired effect. The doors on level A opened, and kids streamed out.

"Find all the kids you can! Find a door and run!" Lyra screamed. The demigods poured down the hallway. The ones who had training led and trailed after the nescient children. I pushed through the crowd and grabbed Lyra's arm, pulling her after me. Through halls and doors and much bashing of guards, doors, and electrical panels, we found the stairs to the surface.

It was pitch black, night. There was a chill to the air. My breath made a soft cloud when I breathed. The stars and moon were so clear they looked painted in the sky. The ground was a hard golden sand. One story factory building spread over a mile of land surrounded by metal fence and barbed wire.

"It's been eleven days since I saw the sky." I whispered in wonder. Lyra stood beside me, eyes glued to the sky, breathing in and out.

"Three weeks." She sighed contentedly and nudged me forward. Back up was already arriving in military jeeps. Campers swarmed the nearest jeep and easily took out the soldiers, stealing their cars. The kid who sat in driver's seat obviously hadn't gotten his license yet. The guy drove in circles a few time then drove straight for the fence. Before impact, two bodies rolled out, and the jeep struck the fence. It was good that the guys jumped out because the fence was electric. High powered too. Electricity arced around the vehicle, scoring the metal sides. I grabbed Lyra's hand and began to run. We climbed over the car and out of captivity.

"You know where to go! Stay in small groups and stick together!" I yelled as we separated in the desert-like land. We followed the road, a badly paved road that seemed to stretch for miles. We didn't slow down for what seemed like hours. Lyra began to fall behind me, but she pushed to keep going. The farther we went down the road, the more common trees became. More and more trees appeared until we were running in the middle of a forest.

Like the day I was taken, I felt a tingling sensation on my neck. The only difference this time was that I listened. I grabbed Lyra's hand and dove into the cover of the trees. Just as soon as we did that, flood lights burned into the night. Military jeeps stormed past, spotlights catching every discrepancy. Lyra was wheezing badly, a few whimpers escaping from her gasping mouth. As unlikely as it was with the noise of the jeeps, I covered her mouth with my hand, sliding to the ground for more cover.

Minutes later, the jeeps moved on with their quest. We stayed their for a few minutes, making sure they wouldn't turn back and see us.

"You okay?" I asked. Lyra nodded, but I saw how hard she was clenching her fists. "What's wrong?"

"Pavement not good for such tender feet as mine," she whispered. In the moonlight, I saw speckles of red coloring her feet. "I can take it. I'd rather be bleeding out here than be stuck in there." She bounded up from the ground, pulling me behind here. "Come on. I'm curious as to how long this forest is."

We walked until the moon was right above the horizon, no longer able to be seen from the forest floor. By my best judgment, we had covered six miles. Lyra and I had refused to stop and rest. We needed to get as much ground between us and the Academy as humanly possible. We stumbled to the edge of the woods, coming onto a desert with a highway town. A gas station, a bar, some open pagodas. It was small and quaint. Some kids were playing soccer in the streets and others were looking in awe at a big fancy car that was currently getting gas. It was a hummer. Lyra had her gaze fixed on the man in an expensive black suit. He was yelling angrily into his cell phone then hung it up and went to yell at his chauffeur who "was taking to long to pump the gas."

"He's not one of them. Just some rich bastard." She got up and rubbed more dirt on her white clothes.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to blend in. Two kids dressed in white prison uniforms? Also we need to get information. Come on." She jumped over the bushes and trotted to about ten feet from the man. She angled herself so that she had to pass him to get to the town. I watched with amusement as she walked past the guy and barely brushed him, lifting his wallet and phone from his pocket. I met her at the first building into town.

"Where d'you learn how to pick pocket?"

"Spring break. I was bored." She opened the wallet and took the money in it, snagging his license as well but not the credit cards.

"We could use the credit card."

"Can you forge a signature?"

"Well, no." I took the ID. "I can't pull off being Mathew Timothy Ricton either."

"You never know. Maybe you'll get more grey hair during your stint of being a fugitive."

"Ha ha ha. Maybe we should try blending with the populous before our friend realizes his wallets missing?"

She stared at Mathew Ricton, a clouded look in her eyes.

"He probably won't until he checks into a hotel. His chauffeur pays for the gas."

I laughed and shook my head. It reminded me a bit of Rachel's father, Mr. dare. Thinking of my friend back home brought back the threat looming over us.

"Come on, lets find out where we are." I walked though the street, catching one of the kids by his sleeve. "What town is this?" The kid stared at me with wide eyes.

"_Yo no hablo a Inglés, Loco Sr._"

Lyra laughed behind me. I smiled at the kid and stepped back a step.

"Did he just call me crazy? I took Spanish for a few years, but all I got was crazy."

"You took it for a few years and that's all you could understand?" She asked incredulously. I nodded sheepishly, and Lyra sighed. She knelt in front of the boy so that they were close to the same height.

"_¿Cómo te llamas?_"

"Michael."

"_Mi nombre es _Lyra_ y Loco Sr. _Percy_. ¿Cuál es el nombre de este pueblo y cuánto es la frontera?_"

"_Nubestelar y setenta millas pero hay que pasar por _El Paso_."_

_"Gracias,_ Michael." She pat his shoulder and stood up. The boy, Michael, darted away as fast as he could. "We're in a town called Nubestelar. It's about seventy miles from the border but we have to stop in El Paso."

"You speak Spanish?"

Lyra looked down at me. "It's a thing with my mind-wander. It's like a portable Rosetta Stone."

"Really?"

She laughed at me and started walking down the street again. "No. My dad lived in Spain for like half his life so he taught me."

"So you read minds, are an unbelievable fighter, and speak Spanish. Am I forgetting anything?"

"I'm also adorable." She smiled and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"I feel like you know more about me than I do about you."

"That's probably true." She didn't elaborate. We walked silently past a few houses, keeping a watchful eye on any one that looked at us twice.

"So I don't fancy walking forty miles, do you?"

Lyra shook her head.

"How about working that silver mind of yours and finding us a ride?"

She nodded and started intently watching anyone with a car. A few minutes of searching and Lyra tugged on my shirt. I followed her gaze and saw a middle aged man with a dusty but new pick up truck. The guy's shirt was too small for his large belly and he was sweating profusely. He hadn't shaved in a while and his three strands of hair was combed over his balding head.

"Homer Simpson," I stated. If he had a Duff beer in his hand, he could've been Homer Simpson. He had the round mouth and beer belly to fit.

"Excuse me, sir!" Lyra called. The man looked up and shook his head.

"No eenglish."

"¿_Disculpe, podría conseguir un paseo para mí y mi amigo_?" The man looked at Lyra then at me.

"¿_Hacia dónde está usted_?"

"El Paso."

The man scratched his stubble and wiped sweat off his face. "_Dirijo así. Te voy a dar un paseo por doscientos pesos."_

"¿_Doscientos_!" Lyra sounded outraged. I could only pick out a few words. They seemed to be talking fast just to confuse me. Ms. Scott never explained the speed at which they talk, I grumped to myself. Lyra spoke rapidly and intensely. The guy argued and put his hands on his hips. Both waving their hands around like mad.

"_Les daré cinco dólares_." Lyra offered.

"_No, doscientos pesos. Y por adelantado_."

"_No, yo pagarle después. Llegamos al Paso y llegar a diez dólares"_

"_La mitad frontal. Mitad al final_." The man was persistent, punctuating each word with his hands.

Lyra ran a hand through her hair. She glanced down at herself then at me. "_Un tercio por adelantado, el resto cuando llegamos a la ciudad. Quince incluyendo un par de cierre para cada uno de nosotros._" The man narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "_Dólares americanos. No pesos._" What ever she said convinced him.

"_Quince para el paseo. No he ropas para usted_."

"_Fina_." She stalked away from the man and puffed at me.

"So what's happening?"

"He's giving us a ride for fifteen dollars, which is a _lot_ of pesos. But we also don't have a lot of our own money. We have to find clothes somewhere else though. How about I give you the money for clothes and I watch _him_?" She looked at our driver with pure disgust.

"Meet you at the bar up there? He doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon." I took fifteen dollars from the wallet and jogged down to the open market.

The locals knew I knew nothing of bargaining. They kept saying special prices but seemed to be going higher. They also followed me and would _not_ leave me alone! I had found an outdoor market with lots of clothing and food and traditional items.

"English?" I kept saying but the vendor just waved at me and said, "special price?" She stuffed a ring made out of stones and wood in my face. "For special friend?" She cackled and closed my hand around it. I held my breath, holding back my frustration.

"How much for two pairs of clothes?"

"_Y_ the ring?"

"Fine! Yes, and the ring." The woman clicked her tongue and grabbed a tan t-shirt with a phoenix and brown trousers. "And something for a girl. My age."

"_Sí, sí, sí. Uno momento_." She thumbed through hangers that hung from the rafters in the ceiling. When she found something satisfying she pulled out a dress. It had three layers, the bottom was a mix of dark pink, purple and some blue, the second was a dark coppery brown one sleeved long shirt with a hole on the shoulder, and the a laced dark brown cover.

"How much for all three and two pairs of shoes?"

"Hundred pesos." Crap. Pesos.

"I'll give you—um—" I dug out my money. "Ten dollars?"

"Americanos?"

"Sí."

I held out my hand, and the woman grabbed it and counted it. She nodded then shuffled through more junk on the ground. She threw me four boots, black, kinda like combat boots. I tried mine on and was surprised that they fit. "Hope they fit Lyra." I thanked the lady and jogged back to the bar where Lyra was waiting. She took the clothes without a word and slipped into the bathroom.

When she came out, she looked like a normal teen, not some prisoner. Her copper hair held back in what seemed like thousands of tiny braids and twirls. I slipped into the bathroom next and changed, thankful that I had pockets to put Riptide in. When I emerged, the false Homer Simpson was waiting impatiently by his truck. Lyra gracefully hopped into the back and dropped money into the man's waiting hand. I followed and sat down, my side next to the window in the cab.

"I'll stay awake if you want to sleep?" I told Lyra. She nodded and rolled the white clothes under her head. She seemed to fall asleep in seconds.

**_Also if the Spanish is wrong send me the corrections and i'll fix it. I used a translator (sheepish grin)_**

**_COMMENT!_**


	6. Rescue

**Chapter six**

**Percy P.O.V.**

Lyra only slept for a few minutes. She woke with a start, shooting into a sitting position. Her breathing slowed and her mismatched eyes looked less frantic.

"Nightmares?"

She nodded. She leaned back against the cab.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No." We fell silent for a bit. There wasn't exactly much to do on a moving open-topped truck.

"I've an idea about what we can do?" I shouted. Lyra's eyebrows furrowed. "A bit of Q 'n A."

"How about no."

"I barely know anything about you! And you can go in my mind whenever you want." I prompted.

She frowned and traced the fading marks on her arm.

"Fine."

"Okay...—you keep saying your mind reading isn't mind reading. What is it?"

She pursed her lips and thought about it for a minute. "It's like—a picture book with audio. I can see images and—hear? But I also feel it. Friends have a soft feel. Bright lights like blue and green and silver. Enemies come off harsh and cold. Generally red." She paused. "It's sometimes hard to decipher things. There are so many thoughts that go through your mind. And actions and thoughts mix together."

"How do you _talk_ in your mind?"

"That I wouldn't be able to describe. Try—a—land with no fence or restrictions?" She laughed, "when I do it to my dad, he gets grumpy. Over the years he learned when I do it and always tries to block me."

"How does he know?"

"If you know what to look for, you can feel a presence in your mind. Kind of signature of my personality? If I do it enough, you'll start to notice."

"I feel that with animals. Marine animals and horses or descendants of horses. I talked with a zebra once."

"Did it feel black or white?"

I glared at her. "I'm going to ignore that." My mind wandered to questions I'd had during my times with Lyra. She liked to be so mysterious, I thought, it must be killing her to be so open. "I never saw you at camp."

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "That's because I didn't go."

"How did you know about everything?"

"Everything?"

"That you were a daughter of Hecate. Me. The war." I stopped. "What side did you fight for."

"I didn't fight for a side," she said a little testily. "I can hear people's thoughts. It's not like I wouldn't realize I was different. Mom told my dad about the myths. He told me." She played with the frill of her dress. "Before the war really took off, she came by. She explained things and even took me to her palace. She also gave me this protection necklace and helped develop my strengths." She laughed sardonically remembering something ironic, "actually the day I was taken was the first day I had taken the necklace off."

I didn't know how to reply so I stayed silent. Leaning my head back, I watched as a wispy cloud puffed and blew around in the sky. My eyes began to close, opening and falling back shut. My thoughts drifted to my friends, family, Annabeth. I could see the soft tangles in her curly blonde hair, that knowing smirk she always got when calling me Seaweed Brain. The small laugh in her voice as she called me stupid. The dark storm that was always turning in her eyes.

She and I were laying on a grey blanket, watching the waves crash onto the camp beach. We were on a plan blanket, a wicker basket filled with picnic foods.

"Perrrrrrcy!" A voice behind me bleated excitedly. Grover flopped down beside me and smiled proudly. "I did it! I wasn't sure it would work, but it did?"

"What work?"

"The empathy link." I furrowed my brow and glanced next to me. Annabeth was frozen in place, brushing away a strand of princess blond from her mouth. My heart sank as I realized it was a dream. But then I remembered how much I missed my best friend.

"Grover? Grover!" I tackled him in a bear hug. "Dude, it's so good to see you! You've no idea!"

"Percy, where are you?" Grover asked, now serious.

"Somewhere in Mexico. We got out from the Academy. There were about ninety kids in all. They're all heading to camp."

"Mexico? Really?"

I waved it away. "Lyra and I are making our way past the border. To the city El Paso."

"Nico is out looking for you. Find a place and _stay there._ He can come and get you and bring you to camp without interference from blue hand guys."

"Guy." I corrected. He looked at me quizzically. "I killed one."

"Ah." Grover pursed his lips and glanced behind me. "She's okay. She's here at camp in charge of everything."

"Where's Chiron?"

Grover shrugged, not looking me in the eyes. "They're all gone," he said listlessly. "Annabeth went to Olympus. It's empty. Mr. D. Chiron. Athena. All of the gods just vanished."

"That explains why they did nothing when we were in that place—" suddenly the earth shook, the vision blurring like an old T.V. Set. "What the hell?" The shaking became more prominent. Rhythmical. "Lyra!"

"What?"

"Lyra is trying to wake me up."

"Percy remember to _stay where you are_! Do not under any circumstances leave El Paso until Nico finds you!" His voice was fading too so I emphasized my nod and yelled as loud as possible that I'd stay put.

I cracked my eyes open. A blue and a green eyes glaring down at me.

"If you say I drool, I'm throwing you off this truck."

"Fine. You're sun burnt."

I raised my arm to shade my eyes. "I was having an exceptionally good dream. A certain blond in a bikini splashing in the waves, non-virgin piña colada in my hand."

Lyra tried to act unamused. She jabbed my arm with her nail, which hurt my bright pink arm, and stood up. Having just woken up, I freaked out. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her down so she wouldn't fall. The action didn't work as I had planned. She lost her balance and tumbled out of the side of the truck. Lucky for me, she had good reactions and landed on her feet. "We're not moving," I stated thickly.

"Course we're not moving, Jackson! I wouldn't 've stood up if we were, idiot!" She yelled. She rubbed her arm and looked almost murderous.

"Hey! Sorry, alright? Gods, I didn't think you'd fall out of the truck."

She glared some then stalked away.

"Why are girls always bitchy around me?" I asked of no one in particular. I lumbered out of the truck bed and set my eyes on El Paso for the first time. It was medium sized and had lots of skyscrapers surrounded by mountainous hills. Lyra was already halfway down the main road, glancing over her shoulder and half smirking at me. I jogged down to catch up with her. We kept our heads down and our feet moving quickly. I always had one hand on Lyra's elbow, guiding her through the crowded streets. For someone so graceful she was also really clumsy when using her ability. Finally, when she had walked straight into two police officers, I pull her into a local coffee shop. The police officers' gaze followed us to the shop.

"_Duos cafés, por favor._" I said to the lady behind the counter and gave her the remainder of our money. "Sit," I ordered Lyra. She collapsed into a seat and rubbed her eyes.

"There's too many people," she groaned.

"Headache?"

She nodded. The waitress, Sophia, brought our drinks, eyeing us suspiciously. I drank mine in one gulp, milk no sugar. Lyra took a sip and scowled, walking over to the corner for sugar. She came back with two sheets of paper and three packets of sugar.

"Doesn't that cancel out the coffee?" She ignored me and rubbed the papers in my face, obviously upset.

"That's just rubbish! Jackson, look at that."

I took the papers and stared at them.

* * *

**Fugitive from Federal Government of the United States of America**

**Do not approach if seen—Suspect most likely armed and extremely dangerous**

**Reward, wanted alive and unharmed**

My picture from Goode High School smirked back at me.

**Perseus Jackson**

**Most likely to be with other fugitives**

* * *

**Fugitive from the Federal Government of the United States of America**

**Do not approach if seen—Suspect most likely armed and extremely dangerous**

**Reward, wanted alive and unharmed**

Below was a picture of Lyra, sky blue eye and emerald green shining from her pale face.

**Simone Lyra Thorn**

**Most likely to be with other fugitives**

* * *

I stared at it for a little longer then burst out laughing. Lyra glared daggers and snatched the paper.

"Your name is Simone? Ha, who named you?"

"Says the boy named _Perseus_.Besides, Simone de Beauvoir was a very influential female in her time. And my dad did. He's a historian."

"You don't have much of a Hakuna Matata attitud."

"That's Timon, idiot,"

"And Perseus is for good luck."

Lyra mumbled something else about luck but I didn't hear it.

"What's that, Simy?" Lyra spun quickly and kicked my shin. Hard enough to make me jump back.

"Call me that again, Jackson, and we have a little talk about my specialties," she growled. I cracked a sheepish grin and held up my hands.

"What ever you say," She nodded and glanced around the room. Some of the patrons were staring at us so Lyra almost jogged to the door. "Simone."

"I heard that."

I smiled, chuckling, and followed close behind. The police were still outside to our left, they found our reappearance worthy of their full attention. Lyra seemed oblivious to them and began walking to the right.

"Lyra. Lyra. Simone!"

She turned angrily. "Seriously, Jackson, don't call me that."

I inconspicuously pointed to the group of law enforcers moving towards us. "Maybe we should speed up the process?" We sped walked through the masses and alleyways trying to lose the policias. To no avail. They stayed on our trail like the laelaps hounds of Crete. We started to run, careless of where we were going. Careless enough to run down a dead end. The police were at the entrance of the alley, twenty feet from us.

"Don't s'pose you still have that gun on you?"

"You want me to shoot them?" Lyra asked skeptically.

"No. I just want to scare them."

"Try yelling boo," she smirked.

"Can we help you, officers?" I yelled to the approaching men.

"¿_Hablas español_?" inquired the first man.

"No," I said. I wanted to have the advantage, maybe we could convey the misunderstanding if they thought we were harmless kids. The three officers exchanged glance, an officer from the back stepping to the front.

"You need to come _con_ us. Turn to la wall, _las maños_ above t'your head." The speaker un clipped his gun warningly. Hesitantly, I complied. Lyra did as well, though she didn't look happy about it. Two of the officers moved towards us, the other with his gun pointing at us. First they patted our arms then our legs. The officer covering his friends spoke rapidly into his radio, distracted.

I struck first. My leg went back and connected with the officers knee. I faced him and kicked him in the jaw. The officer fell unconscious. Lyra had used her officer's arm as leverage and was currently using him as a shield, the other arm wrapped around his throat.

"_Soltar el arma_!" She yelled. I believed she said drop the gun, and as confirmation the policeman dropped his firearm. I cautiously went up and grabbed the gun.

"Sorry, dude," I whispered before pistol whipping him. I dragged his limp body to the other and cuffed them to a drain pipe. Lyra carefully laid the other on the ground. He was considerably red in the face. "We have to find a place to stay before we get arrested. Grover told me Nico was gonna find us so we just gotta find somewhere to stay until he does." I nodded to the policemen slumped against the wall. "Did d'ya hear what they said?"

"I'm gonna guess we apprehended the American fugitives? I didn't hear— I was a little busy getting arrested."

"Okay, whatever. Maybe we could find a rainbow and beg Iris to deliver an IM."

"What's an IM? I'm guessing its not a regular IM."

"Is there something you don't know?" I mocked, and Lyra stuck her tongue at me, bending down and plucking all of the cuff keys from the unconscious bodies. "It's a way of communicating with a rainbow. Voice and video chat through misty water and a drachma. Problem is Grover mentioned the gods disappearing. Would it still work without Iris?"

"Maybe it'll be free?"

"Anyway we have to far away before backup gets here."

* * *

We found an isolated mini park four blocks from the alleyway. A mini fountain set in the corner, just enough sun shining through the spray. I ran my hand through the spray and said, "Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please allow this exception of sending a message to Grover at Camp Half-Blood." Nothing happened. I sighed and fell to the ground. "I'd really hoped that would work."

"How does that empathy link work? Would your friend be able to find us?"

"I don't know. Maybe? But Grover's not the one who is coming to find us. It's Nico."

"Nico?"

"Yeah, son of Hades."

"Longish black hair. Travels with a bulldozer sized dog?"

I sat up. "Yeah, you've met him?"

"No," Lyra sat down beside me. "I dreamt about him calling dead people."

"Bianca?" I said worriedly. I didn't want him to get into bad habits. Last time he talked with Bianca hadn't been a happy time for him, and he'd tried to kill me a lot because of her.

"No, the first suit."

I stared blankly.

"J. Edgar? The guy who made the F.B.I. How do you not know these things?"

"I don't speak conspiracy. Or read."

Lyra rolled her eyes and narrowed them. "Why?"

"I have dyslexia. Wait, don't you?"

"No. Mind you I do have an exceedingly high form of ADHD."

"How does that not surprise me?" I joked. Lyra lightly punched my arm. "And Mrs. O'Leary is not Nico's hellhound. Daedalus gave her to me."

"You have a hellhound as a pet! Named Mrs. O'Leary?" She laughed slash snorted, causing me to laugh. Once she stopped snorting, Lyra said, "I have a year old dog. A white Northern Inuit named Ghost."

"Simone's Ghost. How cute." Before Lyra could hit me, a commotion in the park brought us flying to our feet. Someone came into view of us, and Lyra lashed out, taking the person by surprise. She took down the person onto his back and held her forearm under his chin. When I saw an overwhelming amount of black hair messily flown away from his pale olive skin, I stood there chuckling as Nico tried to throw off the girl. He had grown fast and strong but he was still smaller than Lyra.

"Good to see you, Reaper." Lyra flipped her hair to the other side and raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I know him," I answered the unasked question. "I think you can let him up."

Nico jumped to his feet and brushed himself off. "Percy," he nodded to me. "See you're not in prison."

"Mm, I like it better that way. Your file was fairly interesting. Majorities unknown."

Nico smiled mischievously. "Just the way I like it." He inspected Lyra with narrowed eyes. "She coming with us?"

"Yeah. Lyra, meet Nico. Nico, meet Lyra, daughter of Hecate."

Lyra tilted her head and stared. Nico seemed unnerved by her stare and returned it with a ghost of a smile. He made the first move, raising his hand out to her. She stared a minute more then took it.

"So should we head back to camp?"

"Yeah, I need a familiar place."

As soon as Nico grasped my arm, shouting ensued. Agent Smith came running towards us, followed by six men. Their guns extended. Nico stared in disbelief, but after my encouraging tore into the shadows.

* * *

"PERCY!" Curls of blonde hair engulfed my face, arms cutting off my supply of oxygen. Annabeth pulled away and nailed me with a kiss then punched me with full force. "Gods, don't _do_ that, Percy!"

"Good to see you too, Annabeth." I looked beyond Annabeth to see almost half of the kids who were in the Academy. Annabeth noticed and commented.

"Grover ordered the nature spirits to help find them once you told him everyone escaped. They're still coming in but were not sure if everyone escaped..."

"What about Clarisse?"

"Here." A tall brunette pushed her way to the front. I breathed a sigh of relief seeing her there.

"What's the situation with the gods? How is it that Chiron disappeared and no one noticed?"

"We woke up and he was gone! It's not like we just lost him," said a peeved camper. I didn't know his name.

"Well, why are the nature spirits still here? If everyone else disappeared, then why didn't the spirits?" Everyone turned to Lyra. She had been silent for the last few minutes, observing the happenings. Annabeth narrowed her eyes at her.

"And who exactly are you?"

"Lyra Thorn. I was on the run with Percy." Lyra gave Annabeth a coy smirk and turned to the other campers. "Is there any food? I'm starved."

"Why don't you all get dinner. Percy, can I talk to you for a minute?" Annabeth didn't wait for any reply but grabbed my shirt and dragged me down to the lake a few feet away. Something was bothering her, and I had a feeling I knew what it was. But I let her find her thoughts and tell me herself.

"Can we trust her?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I just feel it. Trust me, Wise Girl. I wouldn't have stayed with her unless I trusted her to have my back."

"I just don't like thinking you spent four days on the run with Heterochromiac over there." She pointed her thumb at Lyra, who was jumping up and down in place.

"She's a friend. Nothing more. Plus without her, I would've not been able to get out."

Annabeth heaved a sigh and finally nodded. "Let's get to know her."

I extended my hand and, together we walked to the dining pavilion.

**COMMENT! More comments=more chapters**

**and I do actually love the name Simone but Lyra likes Lyra better...**


	7. Camp

**Chapter seven  
**

**Lyra P.O.V. **

"So you're a daughter of Hecate?" I nodded, barely paying attention. Lou Ellen was watching me, contemplating me, and staring. "But you can't use magic." I shook my head. "Then what can you do?"

"I can talk to purple elephants and spell the alphabet through my nose."

She humphed and turned back to her food.

_You didn't have to be snappy._ I rolled my eyes and went back to shoveling my food. Smirking, I noticed Annabeth focused on me, her arm wrapped around Percy's waist. I smiled my vexatious smile at her. Percy cleared his throat and received all the attention. He seemed so used to giving orders.

"I think we should all stay here until we have some news about the gods. Do we know if all of the gods are gone? Like, um, Nike, Fortuna, the Muses?" There was a chorus of assents. "What about missing spirits? Monsters?"

"There's been some less monster activity, but that could be because of the decrease in demigods," supplied one of the Athenian kids. Malcolm.

"Alright." Percy leaned against a table, running a hand through his disheveled hair. A boy in a muddy green shirt and shaggy fur pants ran up with a giant smile. Percy returned it and gave the guy a man hug. "Any reports from the nature spirits?"

"Sorry. The spirits are protecting and guiding lost demigods here, but as far as the gods go..."

"It's okay, G-Man. As long as the demigods are getting away from the government."

"Why don't we talk about the information they had?" I said. Heads turned in my direction.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"No, I get it. When I got a chance, I flipped through the files Dr. Calder left out. They were extensive. What weapons we used. Abilities. School and medical records—" Percy listed off.

"And the test results." I added. Percy looked at me quizzically. "You weren't there long enough to be tested. But the results of Drew's testing. Others like that."

"We're you tested?" Annabeth inquired

"Yes." They waited for me to elaborate but all I said was, "they also took blood samples."

"I don't remember anything like that."

"That's cause they couldn't get a needle through your skin."

Percy grinned besides himself. "Do you know why they wanted the blood?"

I replied in the negative. "I know they were curious as to how to replicate the Achilles Curse. They observed the 'bonding' between your skin molecules or something."

"I do know that they were amassing an army. Us. They wanted to use our abilities, our strengths, and replicate them to their benefit. Also they were all signed for 'The Capitol' or something like that." I explained about the file of weapons I had found. Annabeth and her siblings exchanged quick glances.

"Is this the file?" Percy pulled out a file with a black strip on it. He handed it to me and I fingered through it before nodding. "Calder was stuffing this and a few others into a backpack before Jones killed her."

Annabeth held her hand out for the backpack and looked through it. "I'll get on this right away. Malcom?"

No one else had anything that involved the new information and they began to scamper off. Lou Ellen excused herself, along with half of the group. Only the oldest kids were allowed to participate so the numbers were already really small. Awkwardly, I finished eating my food and stood up.

"Umm, can I have my file? I'm overwhelmingly curious as to what they collected on me. Then I think I would get a very satisfying feeling beating the thing into oblivion."

Percy grinned and fished it out of his bag. "Go to hell on the thing."

I smirked evilly and trotted to the Hecate cabin after saluting the remaining kids. It was a regular looking stone cabin but the stones were inscribed with runes and hummed with energy. The inside contained a medieval castle look, candles and crystals floated around the main room, and the actual cabin was bigger inside than out. Two doors led out of the entryway. One was closed, the other had beads covering it. The walls were made of stone. Druid markings were expertly painted on the floor. The same marks on my arms and from my dreams.

"I hope you like it," came a voice behind me. I spun to see Lou coming out of a room I thought was the bathroom.

"It's—cozy. Tardis-like," I said, trying to find compliments. Lou raised her eyebrows. "Bigger on the ins—never mind."

Lou nodded and indicated the beaded doorway. I followed her in to find the bedroom. There were five beds with curtains pulled around each of them.

"That ones for you," she indicated the one straight to the right. A pretty dark green blue color concealed the bed. I pulled aside the curtain and found the bed next to a hanging closet cut out of the wall. Shelves also had the rock cut out, a glowing crystal a size smaller than my palm shining on the middle one.

"Why are there only five?"

"Hecate doesn't have many children. Once a child of Hecate crosses the border of camp, a new bed is created. A space that fits the one it holds. You'll find clothes your size and all."

I checked the closet and sure enough clothes filled the mini repository. "Thanks." I faced her with a smile. "If you don't mind, I'm just gonna take a shower and go to sleep. I'm kinda tired."

"Sure. I'll be in my bunk." She gave me one more smile before going to the farthest bunk, a deep purple curtain. I riffled through the clothes, grabbing a navy blue long tunic and black leggings, then found the bathroom.

The bathroom was as extravagant as the rest of the cabin. Runed tiles covered the wall in the shower, little stones for shampoo and conditioner were placed on the shelves. Touch one and your hair was washed completely. Touch the conditioner and your hair was detangled. I used a drying rune then navigated back to my "room."

My file sat unopened on my lap. I was curious but also hesitant. Pushing aside all qualms, I flipped open the file.

**Lyra Thorn**

**Age:** _16_

**Godly Parent: **_Hecate, goddess of magic_

**Mortal Parent:** _James Thorn_

**Address: **_16 Seabird Road, Boston_

**Current Location:** _at the Academy_

**Abilities:** _no magical abilities, increased strength and agility, possibly psychic. Connection to canines. Probable fighting capability._

**Known Items/Weapons:** _unknown weapons. unknown items._

**Other:** _Birth name: Simone Lyra Thorn. Heterochromiac, doesn't seem to be a trait of Hecate children. Fluent in Spanish, not dyslexic like most demigods, extremely ADHD, positive choice in testing. Her attitude may prove troublesome to manipulation to governmental uses. Conspiracy theorist._

They knew more than I had thought. My medical records and school reports were there too. I threw the file to the floor, nauseous. No, not nauseous. My stomach didn't feel queazy, but my head killed. The pressure burned and increased. I clutched my temples and rolled to my side. My vision blurred and blackened.

_Smith was standing in his office, men anxiously watching him. In a fit of rage, the agent overturned his desk and threw his furious gaze onto the henchmen. I could swear his eyes were more black than brown, like they had been before. Veins in his neck popping out._

_"How the hell did they ESCAPE!" He shrieked at the recoiling men. "They can't just vanish!" He ran a hand through his thinning hair. He looked absolutely ill. "The camp. They're at the camp. That STUPID CAMP! The one place we can't find. We know every single detail except the location." One idiot man stuttered something then realized it wasn't smart to say, but Smith had heard him._

_"What? What was that? Speak up." The man attempted to shake his head but only managed to move his eyes back and forth. "SPEAK!"_

_"It's—it's only one of the p-p-places we don't know the location o-of. The underworld entrance and-and Olym—"_

_"Olympus," Smith snarled. The man nodded quietly. His associates had moved to the other side of the room. Anticipating Smith's next action. The agent swiftly snatched a letter opener from the ground and drove it into the man's heart. The man died quickly. The light vanished from his eyes before he even touched the ground. "You!" He pointed to the nearest soldier. "I want you to tell the Doc to go ahead with the plans. I will find the brats. And you will make rounds to the homes. Use anything to drag the bastards out into the open." _My vision started to fade, the corners blurring like a tv shutting off in slow motion. It ended with two men dragging the blood stained body of the soldier out the door.

I sat bolt up, snatching a black sweater and the glowing crystal before shooting out of the room. Ellen called after me, but I ignored her. I scanned as far as I could with my mind, searching for Percy's light. I caught him a few feet to the left. By now, it was completely dark, the moon was barely a sliver in the sky, the stars flickering into oblivion. I ran across the grass separating the even and odd cabins.

"Percy! I need to talk to you."

He turned, and I saw a flash of white teeth. "I'm listening."

I rested my hand on the porch of his cabin, running my hand along the old wood work. "I—I have to go home."

Percy stared at me. His eyes wide. "You can't be serious. You live in _Boston_. Not to mention the government will be watching your house."

"I have to make sure my dad's okay. I have to talk to my dad about—things. Plus I want to grab some—things."

"_Things_." He moved towards me and leaned against a pillar, crossing his arms. "Care to elaborate?"

"The weather. A necklace. Some weapons," I said to his face then mumbled, "Ghost."

"You want to risk everything for your _dog_? I would do a lot for Mrs. O'Leary but come on, Lyra!"

"You don't get it, Jackson. Ghost is not an ordinary dog! My mother gave him to me. The wolf a symbol of her house and power. And I need to check on my dad." Percy shook his head and hit his hand on the railing.

"No, Lyra! It's too dangerous. We're staying here until we figure out what to do about the gods and mortals." He saw I was about to say something and said, "that's final."

I clenched my jaw, "fine." I bowed dramatically, "I bow to your authority."

"You may pride yourself on your lying skills, but you're not that good at it."

"I'm going. There's nothing you can do to stop me so _don't try_," I hissed. I turned around and jogged away.

"What are you gonna do? You can't exactly walk home!" He yelled after me and staring. Without thinking, I charged to Cabin Thirteen. I pounded on the door. Finally, a cow-licked haired Nico appeared in the doorway. He narrowed his eyes and half smirked, half sneered at me.

"I find I'm more merciful when I get my sleep." When I didn't say anything, Nico sighed impatiently, "what do you want, Laura?"

"It's Lyra, and I need you to help me with something." He nodded for me to continue. "I need you to do that thing you did earlier and take me to Boston."

"Why?" He asked. I growled frustratedly.

"Because I need to go there. Will you help me or not?"

"What's Percy's take on this?"

"Does it matter? I know he is a hero and commander, but I'm not his soldier! I don't follow his orders and from what I can tell you don't either."

Nico clenched his jaw and looked at the floor. "I don't always but—"

"Yes or no?"

"But the Feds are gonna be watching."

"Not if you get me inside the house."

* * *

We arrived in the living room, the lights out. Nico, his sly, smooth self, walked straight into the coffee table. Glasses and a plate crashed to the ground.

"Sorry." He whispered. I glared for a second, but, once I was sure no one had heard and more importantly that there was no Feds in the house, I tiptoed upstairs. Pictures of my dad and I smiled like skeletons in the minimal night light. The hall was carpeted so I didn't have to worry about foot sounds and walked normally. First, I cracked open my door and slid into my bedroom, deciding against using the bedroom light. I felt my way to my dresser, knocking some pencils to the ground but finding my necklace. A metal circle with a triskelion wheel carved into it.

I slipped back into the hall and went to the next door. Dad's room. I rested my forehead against the brown wood. Two rhythmical heartbeats and breathing was on the other side. I opened the door enough for me to come in then cupped my hand over Dad's mouth. He woke with a start, crying out with a muffled shout.

_Sh, Dad, it's me_. He stopped squirming. Ghost beside him shifted his glowing white body and nuzzled my arm.

"Lyra?" He whispered.

_Yes_. He drew me into a bone crushing hug.

"Gods, Lyra. They came to me, the bastards, asked me all these questions about your mother."

_I'm okay, Dad. Really. We got out and are hiding somewhere safe. I can't say where, but I had to tell you._

"Lyra, you shouldn't have come. If you get caught..." He warned. I smiled coyly.

"I have my own plan for that. But, Dad, the men. They may try to use you to get at me. I want you to promise me you'll find a way to get off their radar. This could get messy."

He squinted into my eyes. He knew I was serious.

"I promise."

_Good. My friend is downstairs. I have to leave before someone notices, but I wanted to borrow one of your knives. And I have a mission for Ghost._

"Which one?"

_Kat_. Dad nodded and pointed to the wall across from his bed. The wall was covered with knives and ancient weapons: crossbows, swords, a mace. Being a historian, Dad collected old weapons from different cultures. The one I called Kat came from the Persian tribe Katrians. It was a small blade. Two prongs connected to the hilt holding a half oval blade six inches long. I took it off the wall and slipped it into my boot.

"You should go."

I nodded and gave Dad another big hug.

_Love you, Dad._

"Love you, Syra."

I clicked to Ghost, who jumped off the bed and waited by the door, wagging his tail. Ghost padded down the hall and the stairs, head butting Nico at the bottom. He eyed Ghost wearily.

"Since when is keeping a wolf legal?"

"Since he's not a wolf. He's an Inuit. Ready?" Nico nodded vigorously, extending his hand to me. "Ghost, up." I spread my arms, and Ghost leapt into them. I stroked him fondly and maneuvered the giant puppy to one arm. Suddenly, Ghost's ears flattened back and he growled viciously. Nico drew his sword, black as death, and held it at neck's height. We waited, but nothing came.

"I don't see anything," I whispered. Nico shrugged and reached for my hand. I didn't take it but stupidly decided to check it out. I set Ghost onto the floor and inched forward. Ghost sat back, his hackles raised, in pounce position. I moved around the big arm chair that connected the living room to the kitchen. I didn't see anyone so I turned back to Nico, and that's when he struck. A big guy wrapped his overly large arm around my throat and the other securing his grip. He was so big could he make pro wrestlers run for the hills.

Nico stepped forward to help, but the attacker made a warning sound.

"Stay where you are!" He snarled quietly. "Or I snap your pretty friend's neck. Or I could just strangle the girl," To prove his point, he clenched his muscle, effectively cutting off my oxygen supply. I tried to gasp and clawed at the man's arm. Nico froze but kept the sword up menacingly. The intruder held the choke for what felt like minutes but released the choke hold enough for me to breathe. I greedily gulped down the air.

"Here's what's gonna happen. You are going to put that nasty little sword on the ground, and slip these," he threw zip cuffs onto the floor in front of Nico, "around those little wrists of yours."

"No. You are going to release Lyra and are going to beg me not to kill you."Nico growled. The man's chest rumbled. A laugh bubbled out of his mouth. The action tightened his grip around my throat.

"Nico, do it." I gasped. Breathing fast and furious, Nico slammed his sword to the ground.

"Smart, girl." He took his back hand from behind my head and reached into his pocket for something. I hadn't planned on it, but my connection with Ghost had always been strong. He leapt forward, clamping down on the man's leg. He cried out for a second but I struck him in the throat. Nico rushed over and held the sword point above his throat.

"I told you that was gonna happen." The guard was grasping at his leg Ghost had just released from his crushing bite. Something on his leg caught my attention. He was bleeding badly but it was wrong.

"Nico," I grabbed his aviator jacket sleeve. "Nico, look at his blood."

"I'm a little busy right now."

"No. _Look_." My forcefulness brought Nico's attention to the man's leg. "The blood. It's black."

"That's just the lack of light," he said, but he sounded unsure. I fumbled beside me for the wall switch and clicked it on. Light flooded into the room. The pastel blue walls disagreed with the feelings in the room. The attacker, salt and peppered hair and black eyes, was sweating profoundly. The blood in his leg was as black as Nico's sword.

"Why is your blood black?" I asked the man. He shook his head and reached for an item off his belt. Nico stepped on his arm, halting the movement. "I'll ask you one more time. Why—is—your blood—black?" I pronounced each word carefully.

"I'll never tell you."

"I don't need you to." A kneeled beside him and shut my eyes, allowing my mind to wander. The attacker, Samuel, named after his father, grew up in a little town in Michigan. His father served time in the army, and Sammy wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He was an instructed in special ops training when he was approached two years ago by a branch of the government that dealt with strange occurrences.

"Lyra." Nico's voice came off persistent and worried. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "We have to go."

"I haven't found anything useful yet."

Nico groaned but pulled back his sword and brought it down hard on Samuel's head. Samuel fell unconscious and slumped to the ground. Nico handed me his sword and heaved the man into a sitting position.

"When we get to camp, just let me sleep, okay?" More to himself, he said, "oh I'm gonna regret this." He grabbed my hand and Sam's hand preparing to shadow travel. In the last instant, I snatched Ghost's collar, and we were gone.

**COMMENT!**


	8. Of Monsters and Men

**May be some disturbing concepts about government in this chapter. **

**Lyra P.O.V.**

We appeared in the Hades Cabin. Nico slumped to the ground instantly, his eyes sliding shut. Frantically, I checked his pulse. It was slower than normal but fine. I grabbed Nico under his arms and heaved him onto the nearest bunk. He looked almost innocent without his piercing black eyes, like a normal child.

"Ghost, stay. Guard him." I kicked the soldier in the hip. Ghost growled and stared menacingly at the man. I absconded out of the cabin, taking no time to reach Percy's door. I didn't think of knocking. Generally when something important happened, you don't think of those types things. I burst in to find Percy canoodling with Annabeth. They jumped apart quickly, Annabeth's face bright red, Percy covering his face and slipping his shirt back on. Annabeth pulled her shirt down, which had ridden up.

"We need to talk." I stated, unfazed by the scene. I was one of those people who never had a filter and didn't care about awkward situations.

"Yeah. How about _privacy_, Lyra!" Percy stood up, irked. "Besides last time we talked, you completely ignored my advice and threatened me."

"I don't take orders!"

"Start then!" Percy shouted then he noticed the blood on my hands. "Lyra, what happened?" He reached for my hands, but I backed away.

"I just came to tell you that Nico and I grabbed one of the soldiers. I think you should see him." I retreated from Cabin Three and walked back to Sam, Percy and Annabeth on my trail. Percy called out for the other cabin heads and trotted in front of me. He made a few steps in before he backed out at the sound of snarling.

"There's a wolf in there."

I pushed past him moodily and snapped my fingers. Ghost stopped growling and nuzzled against my leg. Percy checked Nico, made sure he was fine, and let the boy sleep. I pointed at the man still unconscious on the floor. The other campers came in and stared at the man. Or more accurately, his leg. The leg was covered in black blood, veins like spiderwebs spiraling under his skin. Percy and other campers made a claw over their hearts and pushed out.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He attacked me and Nico. We were at my dad's, and he had the upper hand. That is until Ghost bit his leg." Will Solace stepped forward and ran a hand over the torn leg. He mumbled some words and healed it. The wound was only slightly open and less nauseating.

"There's something in his blood. It's not normal."

"Can you tell what it is, Will?" Annabeth inquired. The son of Apollo shook his head.

"Only that it's against all the laws of nature."

"Well, let's ask him," I said and slapped Sam's face. He stirred but didn't wake up so I slapped him again. Sam's eyes fluttered open and zipped around a few times, disorientated. "Hi, Sam. We need to ask you some questions, okay?"

"Where am I?"

"Now, Sammy. I'm asking the questions." He sneered at me and glanced at his leg. The blackness of his blood seemed to humor him. "Let's talk about your leg. Why is your blood black?"

"Go to hell." I drew my fist back to punch him, but Percy grabbed me and lifted me behind him.

"Jake, help me grab him and take him to the hole. Anyone have something to cover his eyes with?"

"Why," I said, "don't you use your shirt? You like of taking it off in front of Annabeth." Percy sent me a warning glare and snatched a satchel belt from Drew. He tied it around Sam's face and took him by the arm. Jake took the other arm, and we parted for the limping prisoner.

* * *

We secured him in the Harpies room. It was dirty, bone littered, and hot. Perfect to make him even more disorientated. We took Sam's own handcuffs and chained him to the wall.

"Drew?" Drew smiled and kneeled in front of the prisoner. Sam leered at her and glared straight into her eyes.

"Try whatever you want, cupcake. I am not scared of you."

"And you shouldn't be." She said sweetly. "I just want to have a conversation with you." She ran a hand up and down his bulk arms seductively. "Why don't you tell us about the operation?" Sam laughed and spit in her face. Drew sprang back with a cry.

"Try it again, Siren! Your magic doesn't work on me!"

"Enough." I stepped forward and grabbed the sides of his face. I closed my eyes and charged forward. When Sam realized what I was doing, his eyes grew wide and a wall around his mind began to build. He was no match for my strength and groaned. He was in pain. The more he fought to keep me out, the more pain he received from my digging. When I found something worth while, I said it aloud.

"His name is Samuel Fields. Fifth unit in the special Ops training." I clenched my eyes against the pain and pressure building in my own head. "_Show me_." I said both aloud and in his head. "A man in a business suit came." I winced from a sharp pain.

_A man in a business suit came and observed my unit. I thought he looked odd, not a military man. He watched me carefully, observing my teaching methods. One of my trainees collapsed from the one hundred push-ups I had ordered. It was the fifth time I had told them to drop._

_"Get up, you coward!" I yelled right in the boys face. The kid got up and tried to to ten more but he was shaking so hard he barely made it halfway down. I snarled at the entire group and ordered them to run ten laps around the base. The man in the suit was devoid of emotion. He stood their unwavering, brown short cropped hair, brown beady eyes, pointed nose, fairly tall and thin. I glanced at his hands. I believed hands were the way to judge a man. One that had men do work for him had dainty, pathetic hands. A man who had mangled, scarred hands acted to much. This man wore blue gloves, preventing any such judgment._

_"Sergeant Maka, I presume." I nodded, and he continued. "I am Agent Z. My partner and I have been ordered to find men for a special operation. I believe you qualify."_

_"What operation?" I asked skeptically._

_"One of great importance. Our mother land is threatened. If we want to survive the oncoming storm we must find a way to be stronger than everyone else."_

_"I'm listening."_

* * *

_A lab coat stood above me. His face was covered by a surgeons mask and he held a clipboard, making last second adjustments to my chart. My breathing was labored and hurried. I swallowed multiple times and blinked. The table was in a glass box, surrounded by armed guards and the man in a business suit. This time his partner stood beside him. My arms were tied to the patients bed, my legs and waist strapped down as well._

_"For assurance," they had said. "Your body may react violently with the drug." I was having doubts about the procedure now. I was the first one they were testing._

_"Out of the subjects, you are the most patriotic and honorable." The doctor looked at me. His face and hands covered. Only eyes watching his test subject through little slits between his medical cap and mask. "This is an honor for you. You are the future of our countries soldiers."_

_I nodded vacantly and tried to ignore the size of the needle held by the doctor. He said something medical that sounded like total nonsense. He bathed my arm vein in a yellow orange liquid and placed the needle into my arm. All of the black liquid was squeezed out, the effects instant. First my arm began to burn. The blood felt like liquid fire spreading through my body. Then it froze. I was unbelievably cold. My arms clenched and my body began to shake. I convulsed on the table, the restraints tearing against my sudden strength. Distantly, I heard screaming and yelling. The doctor scrambled back and locked the medical seal._

_Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain dulled, and the shaking stilled. I was numb. The doctor hesitantly unlocked the door and checked my pulse._

_"He's stabled." I didn't understand why he said that. The man pulled his mask down and smiled at me, releasing the restraints. "Carefully sit up. Please, do not attempt to walk. Your body has gone through a major shock. "Tell me your name."_

_"Samuel Collin Fields."_

_"What is your mission?"_

_"To protect and serve the United States of America." The doctor nodded and picked up a scalpel. He motioned for my hand, and I gave it to him. He held my pointer finger and ran the blade into the soft flesh. Instead of the crimson liquid, black blood pooled out of the cut. The doctor took the scene silently. He removed his tape recorder from his lab coat pocket and motioned for someone else to join him. A blond lady also in a lab coat joined him._

_"Dr. Calder will take you to your room and run fundamental health tests." The woman smiled and offered me a hand. I took it and tried to stand. My legs buckled, but I secured myself._

_"Patient received a mixture of Hydra and Aresian blood. Affects were unparalleled. Patient seems stronger-" the medical dome door shut behind me._

I slumped back. My head pounding beyond belief. I was so tired, I could barely keep my eyes open. Samuel hung limply from his binds, head lolling to his chest. One camper was hovering over me, lifting me against the wall. I scarcely noticed I had tears rolling down my cheeks, voices mumbled near me.

"They aren't human." I thought Percy said it, but I was so out of it, Annabeth could have adopted a really low voice. "When I killed Jones, I thought-I didn't really think about it except that they acted like monsters. But they are literally _monsters_."

"But that's not possible... Men, mortal men, whose blood is mixed with monsters?"

I opened my eyes and saw Annabeth tugging her hair. She had just finished speaking. Will Solace was beside me, making sure I didn't pass out from the mind reading endeavor.

"What's the plan, boss?" I croaked.

"We need to do recon. Find out about everyone in the program. What kind of hold they have on the government..." Percy began.

"If they have judges and the what organizations they have in their back pockets." Annabeth continued to rattle off options of what the operation has. When she finished the lists of resources the government has, she handed the torch to Percy. I had to admit they worked well together. They knew each other's strengths.

"Aphrodites, Apollons, Hermesians, and children of Nike and of Hypnos, I want you all to use any manipulation skill you have. We take turns going out and finding bosses and whoever might have information. You use any method you think will work to get information." He paused to think. "Aresians you help with securing the camp and any camper who needs to go out to get information. Athenians work on predicting the moves and plans and the people working in the organization. Everyone else, you help secure camp. If we get a report of a demigod or anything that relates to and is important, you run it through either Annabeth or I. Children of Hecate, you are going to work on fixing and distorting the mist to our advantage and searching for the gods."

"What about us?" Came a cocky voice from the entrance. A girl with spiky black hair and silver tiara stood with her hands on her hips. "The hunters are at your disposal. We can move undetected and quickly."

"Hunters. I want you to check the corners of the earth. Hear a rumor, check it out." Thalia nodded and sent out the orders. Soon, the entire camp was active. No more waiting around to get caught. The Athenians used Daedalus' laptop to run an algorithm on potential traitors. The hunters split up, some staying at camp to help guard it, and some going off to find rumors of the gods hiding place. Will took me to my cabin. I was useless being that tired. He dropped me on my bunk, slipped a cube of Ambrosia in my mouth, and checked the bruise forming on my neck. Sam didn't do any damage, he had said. I slipped away into a dreamless sleep. A familiar white lump on my legs.

* * *

I woke up around 12:15. The crystals were no longer shining, but the sun seemed to shine through the ceiling, illuminating the bedroom. I hung my legs over the end of the bed and rubbed my head. It didn't hurt anymore.

"Lou?" I poked my head out of my section to see Lou's curtain wide open. I hopped to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, changing into jeans and a blue t-shirt.

I found the populace eating in the pavilion so I jumped onto the bench besides Ghost. The puppy was eating bacon left for him.

"Hey-lo, Ghost. Who gave you the bacon, huh?" I scratched his ears affectionately. I filled my own plate full of food and chowed down, slipping Ghost more food.

"If you keep feeding him that, he's gonna get fat," stated Percy. I shrugged and didn't respond. "You were more fun in the Academy."

"What?" Percy shrugged and went back to eating. A few bites in, he explained with a full mouth.

"You trusted me before I even woke up. What happened to the girl who thought poking me would do the job a needle couldn't?"

"You were less commando then. If you haven't noticed, I don't take orders very well." I said indifferently.

"Mm. This is how it is at camp."

"What, just because you fulfilled a prophecy, everyone has to listen to your every whim?" I ran my fork over the eggs, breaking the yoke and drawing with the juice. "I'm sorry if I'm not a blind follower."

"No, your just a blind leaper." He paused. "What did you need to tell your dad about? I get that you love your dog, but almost getting strangled to death isn't worth fetching your wolf."

"I had a dream about Z." I paused, and Percy prompted me on. "He said something about using force and making rounds. I needed to make sure my dad stayed away from them. And I had a hunch about my necklace."

"Speaking of hunches, I think you should go to the armory and get fitted. Pick out a weapon. If men really have monster and demigod blood in them," he explained, "demigod weapons should work against them."

"Fine." I stood up and turned to leave. "Oh, and, Jackson? I'm going to be part of the information crew." Percy thought about it for a moment but nodded all the same. "And you're still a dollop head."

* * *

The armory was stalked full of demigods. They wanted to get all traps, defenses, and weapons ready for a fight. The word of the monster men had apparently spread to all of the ears in camp. I saw Jake Mason tinkering away at a tiny little metallic thing in his hand so I wandered over to him. He glanced up quickly as I approached then dropped his eyes to his hand.

"What's that?"

"A-bug." He said slowly then set it carefully on the table. The metallic object was the size of a large house fly. Silver wings attached to the obsidian body and ruby eyed head. There was a pile of other types of bugs on the edge of the table. "For spying on the senate meetings or whoever is in charge of the operation."

"They'll never see their termite-ation coming." Jake glared at me. He didn't even smile. I sighed and continued. "Percy said I should get some armor. Pest-y to say the least."

"Basic armor or specialized?"

"Anything that will help me beat those weevil bastards."

"Basic it is. Go find out your measurements." He said shortly. He wanted me to go away, but I was having to much fun trying to annoy him.

"I also need a weapon. I've only ever used a gun so I don't know what kind of weapons I like."

"Do you like reach and power or maneuverability and speed?"

"Both. Two one-handed weapons? I also like chigger weapons. Like on a military pistol. I want to terrify them so badly that they'll be praying on a mantis." Jake's mouth was twitching by now. He eyes were blazing with frustration and mental pain.

"Try looking at the premade weapons. Over on that wall."

"I mite do that. Mayfly over there right now actually. Stop bugging you."

"You do that."

Before he tried to do something he would regret, I jogged away, towards the wall with weapons covering every inch. One section was completely dedicated to knives and daggers. They ranged from butterfly knives to rampuri. I plucked one knife off the wall, gold plates with a silver handle. It was extremely thin but sturdy. The handle was sleek and slanted in a curve, the blade long and sharp. I pocketed it and scanned the wall for something else. Twenty throwing knives on a leather belt. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth and I snatched them up. Before I left the armory, I waved at Jake, who glared and went back to his bug tinkering. Annabeth met me outside.

"I have a job for you."

**Lyra is the person in the book cover picture. If u click on it u can c the 2 colored eyes. the copper hair is not like orange/ginger/ red but like a new penny mixed with brown**

**stout can also mean firm and sturdy not just fat and short, but it is short.. The blade is thin, the handle fat.. Plates refuting to the blade, just looking for another word, if u have one could u tell me it? I need synonyms for the kinda thing**


	9. Disappeared

**Chapter 9**

Kathleen loved to run, to burn off steam from her work. She jogged through the park and past a groups of kids playing ball. She didn't smile, however. It was all about the speed and power in the exercise. Kathy came to a slow stop, pressing two fingers to her throat and watching the seconds tick by.

"I'm gonna kill you, Connor!"

Kathleen turned to see what the commotion was. A boy with chestnut hair was running towards her chased by a six foot tall wrestler teen. The kid messed up majorly apparently. He aimed to low or he let the bat loose, but he became the target of a massive kid on the other team.

They ran around in circles, the younger boy always avoiding capture at the last moment. The cat and mouse routine continued until the younger boy came straight at Kathleen. He appeared not to have seen her, and they collided. She felt a short, sharp pain in her arm, and when she checked, there was a small pinprick of blood.

"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry." The boy sputtered. Kathy shook her head and forced a smile.

"It's fine. Nothing that won't heal." She said then walked away. Her head had begun to pound, and she just wanted to go home, to her bed. To find aspirin. But she didn't make it that far. She sat down on a park bench and closed her eyes.

* * *

Senator Rupert Miles was talking angrily on his phone. He burst through the rotating door of the Pierre Hotel, his assistant moseying on his tablet. He barked an order into his phone then hung up. He passed over his ID and credit card to the relatively young man behind the desk. The senator shook his head; Jackson couldn't be as young as he looked. The black hair and green eyes just gave him a younger tone.

"Will there be anything else, Senator?"

"No," he replied gruffly.

"Alright. I'll have a porter take your bags to your room." The attendant smiled and signaled to a blond boy astutely standing by a luggage cart. "Will, take Senator Miles's bags to room 775."

"Of course. This way, sir." The boy, Will, loaded the bags then led Sen. Miles to the elevators. The secretary was going to follow, but the attendant behind the desk called to him.

"Are you Michael McBride."

"Yes?"

"There was a problem with your credit card. It was declined."

"What? That's not possible..."

"Do you have a moment? We'll go over the details right now." The secretary was busy for over an hour. The attendant, Jackson, always found some discrepancy in the secretary's information or other.

In that time, the senator was chatted up by the porter. Will happily expressed his clichéd life. _Although_, the senator thought, _he did somehow make sure we were the only ones in the elevator. Every time I meet someone and they recognize me, I have to listen to their mundane complaints of the economy, laws, annoying tickets, etc_. The elevator opened to the seventh floor, and Will walked to the right, right, then left. The numbers 775 were carved elaborately in the plate next to the door. Will slipped in the card and motioned for the senator to go. The man complied and was rewarded with a dizzy feeling.

"Are you alright, sir? You look really pale."

"Fine. I—wheres's the bed?"

"Over there. Here—" Will helped the senator lie back. Soon, the senator lost consciousness.

* * *

The doctor came out into the hall. This work seemed much more boring than his last one. They called him now and then, but they hadn't needed him in a while. This boring repetitive work drove a man crazy. At least that was how Dr. Jonathon Theodore felt. The doctor checked his watch then his clipboard.

A voice over the intercom called, "Owner of the blue Mustang, license plate 894TDI, your car has been flagged in an improper parking slot. Please come down to security office." The doc swore and raced through the halls. He always parked in that spot. He tore into the parking garage and saw two men hooking something around his back tires.

"Stop! Stop that, right now!" The doctor was waving his arms madly. The two figures looked up and hailed him over.

"That—that's my car," the doctor heaved.

"It's parked in the wrong spot."

"No, it's not! I park where I always park."

One of the two boys scratched his face. "Nah, I don't recognize it. Travis?"

"Me neither, Connor."

* * *

"Define 'disappeared'."

The men cowered from the livid agent. He stood behind his desk, his hands clenched on the burgundy wood.

"Sir, the former annalist Kathleen Roberts never showed up for work. Sen. Rupert Miles was checked into his hotel but never seen after. Doctor Theodore. Some agents have been reporting falling asleep and objects moving around. Phones missing. I.D.s, badges, briefcases. They just—vanished."

"PEOPLE—DO NOT—JUST—VANISH!" Smith flipped the desk, sending it crashing towards the men in the corner. He breathed heavily for some time before calming himself to a tolerable level. "What was their last position."

"Some were in their homes. Some were out in the streets, in a café, a park."

"And what did the security cameras tell us?" No one spoke up, causing Smith to ask again.

"They—" the poor man who spoke could barely finish the sentence. "They were blank. Or—or blocked."

"So you are just here to report—nothing. Nothing to report, sir. Is that what you are telling me?" Again, no one dared to answer. "It's them. The demigods are fighting back. They are stealing our people like we stole them. But why?"

"Revenge?" One brave soul said. Smith glared but did not kill him like his instincts wanted. Smith rolled his neck, thousands little cracks popping.

"When and where was the latest kidnapping?"

"One day ago. The senator in his hotel room."

"Has there been any significant blips in security? Any man who has a higher security clearance and is in the mortal, modern world, _right now?_" The was a scramble in the room as the only annalist pulled her computer out and searched her files.

"Um, one man. Um, Hal. Hal Rogerson. Payed for a coffee at a local cafe in Manhattan. He's the teacher who trained the subjects who escaped the Mexican Academy."

Smith wasted no time but riffled through his overturned belongings and grabbed his gun. He marched out and practically ran out of the building.

"Get me a car!"

* * *

The man sat down at the corner table, far from the windows but able to see and hear everything. The little coffee shop was quiet, almost completely void of life. His being able to see everything included the pretty blonde girl at the opposite smiling at him. Of course, he smiled back, but it was more of a sneer. A waitress with copper hair and blue eyes lumbered over, lazily taking out her pad.

"Want anythin'?" She had a Bostonian accent, not fully completing the ends of her words. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. Something about her eye—eyes.

"Coffee. Black. No sugar." The waitress scrawled his order onto a receipt and took his credit card. The man didn't care. He was on his break, and he enjoyed the view of the blonde. She wore a tight shirt, white, and right jeans that showed the muscles of her thighs nicely. He watched her more, and she winked back at him. He was so intent on the girl, he missed the fact his waitress poured a powder into his coffee even though he had ordered no sugar. She slipped his coffee onto his table then gave a cup to the blonde girl. They both gazed back at him.

He took a sip, gagging at the horrid taste. He tasted what might have been xylitol. He was going to protest, but he felt drowsy. His eyes drooped. His lips wouldn't form the words, his throat couldn't even make a sound. Worry and angst tore at him, and he tried to stand but fell to the floor. The blonde got up and took his pulse.

"I think you put too much in. His pulse seems really slow."

"I don't think so. I put in as much as you said." The waitress shrugged.

"And how much was that?"

"Three tablespoons." Lyra replied. Annabeth gaped at her, pressing two fingers on the man's wrist and neck.

"I said three _teaspoons_, Lyra!"

"Isn't that the same thing? Anyways not all of it went in." Annabeth glanced at Lyra. "I poured it into my hand," she explained. Annabeth suddenly felt queazy and a little drowsy herself. She sat back and glared at her fellow fugitive.

"Tell me you didn't put everything in your hands?" Annabeth earned a blank stare. "Lyra!"

"How should I know you don't use your hands?"

"It's basic health codes, Lyra!"

"I don't care about his health. The bastard." Lyra gave a small kick to Hal. "Besides, you didn't care until I told you."

"Just don't go into the food business." Annabeth said with an impish smile. Lyra scratched at her eye, the blue contact felt like it was slicing her cornea. Lyra returned the smile and bent down to shift the bulk. Her face redended as she tried to lift him into a sitting position. Annabeth helped and barely managed to lift him back onto the chair. "Gods, what does he weigh? Like six tons?"

"At least. Come on, hurry up. We have to get out of here fast."

Annabeth took out a second pouch and sprinkled a blue powder into her hand. She knelt in from of Hal and blew it into his face.

"Oh, I can't sprinkle powder into mine but you can put it into your hand and blow it into his face?"

"Shut up." Annabeth chanted a few words in Ancient Greek, and Hal straightened an insane, clown-like smile popping onto his face.

"That's just creepy," declared Lyra.

Annabeth grabbed his arm then lifted him with more ease. Her voice was still squeaky with strain when she spoke. "I'll carry him for a bit, and then you take him until we get to the car."

"Whatever you say, Annie."

"Don't call me Annie."

Lyra smiled but caught a glimpse of a black car. The same black car that had passed a few minutes ago.

"Time to go. Come on," she said urgently and pushed Annabeth into a faster pace. Men swarmed out of the car and rushed the little cafe to find the three already exiting through the back. Lyra sent Annabeth down the back alley neighborhood. It was the outskirts of Manhattan, where a neighborhood of apartment complexes were off of the main roads. Lyra waited, her knife poised to attack. The first man who came out was easy prey. She sliced at him and knocked him out, using his body to stem the soldiers exit. Lyra ran down the alley but kept an eye at her back. She paused and turned around, raising her knife to eye level. Then she hurled it, end over end, at the exit. It should have hit. It should have struck agent Smith in the eye, ending him, but he caught it between two fingers, a manic smile playing his features cruelly.

"I think you'll find I am not such easy prey as my partner Jones." He jumped over the railing and charged at her, but Lyra was already turning corners and sprinting to Annabeth's side. Both Lyra and Annabeth prayed to their mothers for help.

* * *

**Lyra P.O.V.**

Like a sign from the gods, one of the apartment complex doors opened. I hefted Hal higher onto my and Annabeth's shoulders and limped to it. A boy, close to my age, was stepping out, but I shoved past him and grabbed his shirt to drag him back. He yelped and fell to the ground with surprise. Annabeth dropped Hal to the ground then slammed the door shut, closing the inner door as well. The boy tried to say something, but I clamped my hand over his mouth, putting a finger to my own lips. The boy nodded, wide-eyed.

Through the little window, Annabeth and I observed Smith and his men running past. He yelled orders to fan out and kept going. I let go a breath of relief. "We should be good for now."

"Good? Who the hell are you?" The boy hissed. He was staring intently at the unconscious man on the floor. Hal groaned but did not wake up. In the meager light of the hallway, I saw the boy had light-black hair and radiant blue eyes. He had a strong british accent, but not English. Like a mix of Irish and something else.

"It's complicated." Annabeth explained. She glanced around the hall. "Probably best you don't go out there right now." The boy's eyes, if possible, widened even more.

"Your parents home?" I asked lightly and with a smile on my face. He shook his head numbly and pointed to the first apartment. He probably thought we were threatening him so he opened the front door and let us in. Annabeth and I dragged Hal into the boy's living room. It was quaint, filled with little trinkets and antique furniture. Pictures of a smiling boy and, who I assumed were his parents and younger sister, lined the wall. He stood in the corner, watching us warily.

"We're not going to hurt you." I snatched the clicker from the coffee table and turned on the T.V. A James Bond film was playing across the screen. _Goldeneye_.

"Is he dead?" The guy asked.

"Who?"

"_The guy you dragged into my house_."

"Oh, no. He's alive." I said nonchalantly. He nodded and pursed his lips like he couldn't tell if that was an improvement. Annabeth ran around the room, sliding the curtains over the window.

"Where's your phone?" She asked urgently. He pointed to the kitchen, and she hustled off. I awkwardly sat down. I wasn't that good at keeping conversations going, at least ones that the other person didn't find awkward. Especially when it started with dragging an unconscious hostage into the guy's house.

"You gotta name?" I asked. He stared at me. "What?" I was a little unnerved by his unblinking incredulousy.

"You serious?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He flailed his arms around, making indesicive noises and exasperated sounds. "You and your friend drag a dead guy int—"

"He's not dead."

"—_He looks dead_!"

"He's smiling!"

"That doesn't make it better! You drag him into my home and practically threaten me into staying in here, and now you're asking me my name?"

"Yeah. I'm Lyra. That's Annabeth." I persisted. He dropped his head to his chest and shook his head. Softly, I mind-wandered to confirm my suspicions. He was hiding a smile.

"Mord." He said it with a soft "D", like pronouncing the echo of the letter. The way Brits pronounce half their vocabulary. I fought to suppress a smile. I loved his accent.

"And Mord is short for..."

"For a different time." He was saved from me trying again by Annabeth coming back into the room.

"I called Percy. He is working on a way to get us out. He said stay here until he can find a shadow traveler."

Mord glanced between us, trying to comprehend the words. Some shouting came from the street. I didn't even need to check. The soldiers were back and combing the street. In no time, a bang came from the hallway, and more talking went on. An urgent knock rattled the door.

"Mord, please. Don't tell them we're here," I begged. I searched his crystal blue eyes and recieved a curt nod. He pointed to a room by the living room. "I swear I'll answer any question you have. Just don't tell them we're here."

"Go in there." He watched Annabeth and I drag the limp body of Hal into a bedroom. Annabeth crouched away from the door and stuck Hal behind it. I stood behind the door, it cracked open enough to see silhouettes of the living room. Mord took a breath and as a last thought turned the volume on the T.V. up then opened the door. "Can I help you?" He asked in his perfect accent. Two ordinary monster soldiers stood in the hallway.

"We're looking for two fugitives. Mind if we search the premises?" Mord stepped back from the door and waved them in. I held my breath.

"Fugitives? What did they do?"

"Treason. Anyone else here?" One soldier came very close to the bedroom. He made to open the door but thought better of it and walked to the kitchen.

"I've been alone all day. My Mam and sister went away for the week. My Dad's at work."

"Did you hear anything? See anyone?"

"Mm, I heard some shoutin' earlier. And two girls and a guy went runnin' by. Turned down to the Main Street maybe. Or they could've gone straight. Didn't see really."

The soldier who had asked the questions eyed Mord. "If you didn't see anything, how did you know it was two girls and a man?"

"Cause I heard shouting. I got up from my movie and saw the group running through the street." Mord walked back to the door and held it open. "Now if you don't mind." The soldiers glanced around once more then obliged.

"You hear or see anything more..."

"I'll tell you." Mord slammed the door in their faces. I waited until I heard the last of the combat boots left the hallway then came out. Mord was looking out the window. "Stay away from the windows."

"Thank you," Annabeth whispered. Mord shook his head.

"Why are you fugitives?"

Annabeth glanced at me warningly.

"No, you swore you'd tell me. I can call them back right now."

"They kidnapped _us_ and imprisoned _us_." I said shortly.

"Why?"

"Lyra—" Annabeth warned. She grabbed my arm and forced me to face her. "_You can't tell him_," she hissed in Greek. I glared at her and shook her off.

"I don't understand Greek." I hissed back, which was partially true. I comprehended greek but not as expertly as Percy or Annabeth. I didn't get to explain it because there was another knock at the door, but this one was trepidous. I spanned out with my mind and felt the presence of a girl. It was dark and black but friendly. "Percy's friend is here." Mord opened the door and was unceremoniously pushed out of the way.

"Katia." Annabeth said. She didn't sound happy but not _un_happy. The girl smirked and nodded to the door. Nico was guarding the entrance.

"C'mon. Your security friends are still outside, and I don't fancy getting caught." Katia glanced at me then at Mord. Annabeth nodded, collected Katia to fetch Hal from the bedroom, and cautiously stepped into the hall. Quickly, I snatched a pen and paper and wrote down my name.

"For future reference." I got on my tiptoes and pecked Mord on the cheek. "Thank you." I didn't look back but joined Annabeth and Katia in the foyer. I clasped my hand in Katia's and prepared for the shadow travel. My stomach lurched and I felt like I was falling from a roller coaster.

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	10. Hysteria

**Percy P.O.V.**

Nico was in charge of the construction of the prison, the children of Hephaestus doing the actual work. They were building a prisoner of war camp deep in the forest at camp. It was literally being raised from the ground and from the trees surrounding it. So far there were six cells: roots, dirt, and metal made the floor; a mixture of human metals and celestial bronze and branches made the bars and roof. To complete the prison feel, Children of Ares patrolled between the cages and informed a strict no talking policy.

"I was thinking we would interrogate them on top of a big oak tree," Nico suggested. When I gave him an inquisitors glance, he added, "With the dryad's approval of course."

Still with no response, he explained further, "You know the 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' routine. You'd be the good cop, telling them the easy way is to 'fess up to all their crimes and to spill all their nasty secrets and evil schemes. They probably won't say anything so that's where I come in. I threaten them with my Hades powers and then toss 'em off the bough when they still won't talk."

"No." I said without looking up.

"Oh, come on, Percy! We can work on how we do it."

"It's not the how we do it, Nico. It's the incredulous no that follows any plan you have that involves throwing our prisoners off of a five-hundred foot tree!"

Nico gave me an annoyed, sour sneer. "The dryad'd catch 'em."

"The answer's still no." I said and continued to rifle through the documents we had commandeered within the past few weeks. A few papers went flying when I jumped at the screaming shriek of a Banshee from outside the clearing. No matter how long we had been there, I don't think I'd ever get used to being in the forest. As a precautionary action, we had relocated our camp and base of operations into the forest, alongside the prison. A quick spell and incantation by Lou Ellen and her siblings and all the monsters were barred from the makeshift headquarters. But that didn't stop them from prowling around us.

"Do me a favor, Nic, and find out if Annabeth and Will are done testing _Rupert_."

Nico growled something in audible, so I gave him my winning smile. He slipped between the shadows and trees and disappeared from sight.

I didn't really need to know if the testing was finished, but Nico wouldn't stop pestering me. We already knew the government was experimenting and trying to create super soldiers and that the officers and agents we had forcibly detained have the blood of monsters and demigods running through their veins.

The tests were mostly medical, a few psychological but all ascertaining to humanity. The subjects of these tests have showed a lack there off, and we wanted to know the extent of their _inhumanity_. Rustling leaves revealed Grover's presence, though he did little to conceal his approach. I gave him a small smile.

"Hi, Perce."

"What's up, G-Man?"

He fidgeted with his hands, shuffling his hooves before speaking. "I was thinking about the gods..." He trailed off so I waved him on again. "We'll, you don't think they faded, do you? Like Pan?"

I licked my dry lips. The thought had occurred to me, multiple times. But I had pushed it away each time. It didn't make sense that the gods were dead. When Pan faded, he had a catalyst, Grover, to carry on his spirit. And Kronos and Chiron had stressed that our world wouldn't be the same without the immortals. The entire civilization relied on their existence.

"Nah, man," I said, smiling. Grover visibly relaxed. "They're just waiting for us to save their ungrateful asses."

"Mocking the gods again, Seaweed Brain? Think about where that got you last time." Annabeth said before kissing my cheek.

I kissed her back, fully this time. Behind us, hovering on a giant tree root, Nico made _very_ audible gagging sounds. Annabeth pulled away and gave him a scathing glare.

To prevent her from flaying him alive, Grover cleared his throat and asked, "So how is the good senator doing?"

Annabeth threw one last warning to Nico then answered, "Truthfully... I've no idea. Will and I have been asking him and the others questions for hours. Hal, the guy Lyra and I grabbed, may have always been like that, but he was overly aggressive—"

"Or it could have been that you _kidnapped_ him," Nico put in but promptly shut his mouth at Annabeth's livid expression.

"Most of them have been aggressive, but compliant. Maybe a little delusional." She stepped to the table and rifled through the papers until she found the sheet she was looking for. "We recorded this one yesterday. That woman, Kathleen Hues, was much more cooperative—at least she answered them rather willingly and boastfully. 'Before they recruited me, I was a nobody. An asthmatic CIA analyst. One of hundreds. Then this one day, these two guys in suits come to me and offer me this job. An experiment, they said, of evolution. A war is coming and only the fittest survive. All it took was one little injection. And _this_ happened. I was strong, fast, I could run without gasping for air like I was drowning. Yeah, it hurt, but I'd take pain and this life over a life of nothing any time.'"

Annabeth stopped reading and waited for us to comprehend the woman's statement. No one stepped forward with questions, but I figured the same thought was going through their mind as mine: why would they do this? Chase kids to the ends of the world in the name of evolution? _This_ is why the gods kept us hidden from the mortal world.

"Is Hal awake?" I asked Annabeth.

She nodded.

"I think it's time I have a little chat with my old gym teacher."

* * *

I had thought he would be less intimidating now that he was in prison, but I was way off. He looked like a caged, cornered, rabid animal. His black eyes flashed back and forth, squinted to spot every possible attack. The small of his back was dark with sweat, his face dripping, his fists clenching and in clenching with anticipation.

I paused before facing him. I steeled my emotions and took a deep breath. Showing fear was not an option if I wanted answers and respect.

"You should calm down, Hal. A man of your age is bound to have a heart attack from increased stress." I called before sauntering up to his cage. Nico walked behind me.

The speed of the change was amazing. As soon as he heard my voice, he turned from anxious and cautious to a sputtering beast. He rammed himself against the bars of his cell and growled ferociously. Teeth bared and spittle flying every which way.

"Emerald, come to play?" He spit.

Nico chuckled and mouthed the nickname at me. I couldn't do anything there so settled for a silencing glare. _I have to sort that out later._

"I have some questions for you, Hal."

"Screw you, Emerald. I told the grey-eyed bitch I'd sooner cut out my entrails then betray my country."

"That sounds painful. What I'm proposing is much simpler. Less painful. Just tell me who Smith is and how the government discovered the existences of the Greek gods."

Hal spit in my face. "Go to Hell, Jackson."

I sighed and wiped off my face. I don't know why, but something inside me ticked. "That's disappointing." I've had enough being the good guy. "Hal, have you met my friend here? Nico, this is Hal Rogerson. Hal, this is Nico DiAngelo." I waited to see if Hal recognized the name. He did. "Son of Hades."

Like I thought they would, Hal's eyes widened marginally. But Hal insisted on playing brave, "So? Why should I care about some death boy?"

I prayed that Nico would play along, following my lead, and continued my ploy. "You should care, Hal. See Nico here can cause some serious trouble for you. One touch and he can rip your despicable soul from worthless body. One word and the furies take a special interest in you." I laughed madly and added, "you don't even have to be dead for that!"

Hal swallowed roughly, his eyes dancing from me to Nico and Nico's hands. Nico smiled and waved, and Hal jumped. "You're lying..." He didn't sound very convinced. "And even if he could, you wouldn't. I read your profile, Jackson. You're not a monster. You're the hero, you don't torture people."

"Don't I?" I yelled and slammed my fists against the bars of his cell. I got real close, shoving my face right in his. "You've read my file? How much you wanna bet it says I will do anything to protect my friends and family? I bathed in the River Styx to save them, what's to say I won't do this for them too?"

Besides me, I felt Nico shift uncomfortably, shooting a glance in my direction.

"I don't know who the agents are. All I know is that they approached me with this fantastic tale about children of gods. All they needed was from me was to whip you into shape, prepare you for the final step. I was fresh out of the army. I needed money, a job. I had nothing to lose."

"How did they find out about the gods?" Nico asked. "About us?"

Hal shook his head. "I don't know." He swallowed. "A war is coming. This world can't sustain us all, not at the rate we're going, and the boss plans to be on top when that happens."

The initial adrenaline wore off and Hal seemed to collapse in on himself. Disgusted, I turned away. Nico was watching me worriedly so I snapped, "what?"

"You should 't have told him about the Styx."

"It doesn't matter. He's not going anywhere. Besides, they'll never figure out my Achilles Heel." I started walking away, and Nico had to run to catch up to me.

"Percy. Percy!" He grabbed my shoulder and forced me to face him. "Maybe you should go lie down. Go calm down and control yourself. I'll calm you when we need you."

I shook him off. "I don't need to control myself. I'm perfectly in control," I snarled. "I need to take care of the camp, I need to find the gods, and I need to figure how the _hell_ they found out about us!" I was practically yelling by then.

"Percy, you need to calm down—"

"You don't tell me what I need to do!" I shoved Nico back and continued hiking up the hill. Before I knew what happened, the forest flipped sideways, and I was fading in and out with a major headache.

* * *

"How hard'd you hit him?"

My head throbbed and pulsed as someone poked my temple again. Thanks to the Achilles Curse, there wouldn't be a bruise or anything broken, but it hurt like hell. Distantly, I thought the curse was supposed to prevent this type of injury, but it was the second time this type of thing had happened.

"And with _what_?" The same female voice asked. Sadly, it was the poking that was the identifying marker.

"Lyra, I swear if you poke me one more time," I growled as I opened my eyes. I blinked a few times to clear my vision and noticed I was in a different place from where I lost consciousness. My guess was that we were deeper in the forest, farther than I had been in a long time. Right next to my head was the creek Annabeth, Grover, and I had stopped searching for Nico at.

Both Nico and Lyra were hovering over me. Nico had the courtesy to look slightly abashed and guilty while Lyra was hiding a smirk. I lifted my hand to my face and fingered my temple. Yep, it was still perfectly intact.

"How'd I get here?" I frowned.

Nico looked anxiously at Lyra and raised his hands in defense. "Now, before you get med..."

I pushed to my greet and stared at Nico incredulously. "You hit me!" I exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the boy in front of me.

"I helped drag you," added Lyra, like it was a good thing.

"Look, Percy, you were acting insane and potentially dangerous so I—" Nico stopped abruptly, obviously aware of the innocently murderous expression on my face.

"So you what, Nico?" I inquired angelically.

"So he hit you with his sword," finished Lyra. "He was worried about your mental health. I thought he was just fretting, but now I agree."

I took a breath to calm myself. "But why did he _knock me out?_"

"You were having a panic attack."

"I was not having a panic attack. I am not panicked. I was and am furious. That's completely normal in these types of situations."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You threatened to torture the guy, Percy. Doesn't that seem a little drastic to you?"

I waved him away. "I wouldn't have done it. You wanted to do the same thing! Good Cop, Bad Cop."

Nico grabbed his head, tugging at the black mass. "Percy, listen to yourself! Do you even know what you're saying? You told him about the Styx, you threatened to torture him, you won't even listen to me!"

"There's a reason for that. How do I get back to Base?"

Nico set his jaw and crossed his arms. Misdirected anger burned through me, burning hot enough to make me realize what I was doing. _Why am I so mad at Nico? Breathing deeply,_ I shut my eyes_. This is what Smith wants. To mess me up._

"Nic, I'm sorry, man. I'm good."

He didn't look convinced so I dropped to the ground and laid on my back. I draped the crook of my elbow over my nose, effectively blocking off any light left in the night. Feeling less threatened, Nico sat across from me. He opened his mouth a few times, but stayed silent for the most part.

"Wanna talk about it? Whatever's bothering you?" He asked eventually.

I shook my head. "How did you knock me out?" I was honestly curious, I had figured the Curse prevented any bodily harm, including consciousness affecting blows.

Nico shrugged impishly. "I, uh, hit you with the hilt of my sword." He chuckled nervously and continued, "I forgot about four curse the moment I swung it, but then you blacked out and it was all good.—I mean for me. You'd've killed me if you hadn't lost consciousness." His voice died down towards the end, he realizing continuing wasn't the best move.

"But how come I got knocked out? I'm invincible remember."

"I think it's the iron that kind of sucks the life out," he suggested. I let it drop, not interested enough to keep the conversation going, and instead watched Lyra drawing on her right arm then her left and back again. For a few minutes we were content to just sit in the silence and the calls of the frustrated monsters.

Eventually I asked, "What time is it?"

"After midnight."

I looked sideways at Nico. "Won't someone be wondering where we are?"

"After I knocked you out and Lyra and I dragged you out here, I told everyone you went to think. Don't think Annabeth believed me," he mused.

I scoffed. "The fact that you told her I was out thinking would be enough to doubt you."

Nico laughed softly and kicked the dirt with his shoe. I couldn't help notice how much he had grown up since I met him. He was just a nerdy little kid with his myth-o-magic cards who then lost the only person in the world that mattered. Then he was taken, melded, indoctrinated by an insane, vengeful ghost. 'I am the Ghost King.' Now he can raise the dead to fight his battles.

"Any Underworld whispers? About the immortals, I mean."

"Nothing. If it weren't for the Keys to the Underworld, Halloween would have come late this year."

"Samhain, and not late. Today's November 1st," Lyra said while inspecting her designs on her arm. Nico debated replying then shook his head. Lyra, however, did not need him to voice his reply. She continued, "Sow-ain. The celtic holiday of the Otherworld."

I nudged Nico, "Just nod when she comes up for air."

Lyra scowled and focused all of her attention on the drawing on her right arm. She added a few finishing touches then began drawing on her other arm.

"Have you thought about why you were having a panic attack?" She asked casually.

"I told you," I ground out between my clenched teeth, "I was not having a panic attack."

"A fit of terror, panic, panic disorder, scare, spasm. Call it what you will, it's not going to change what it was."

_I've been the target of attacks since I was born, I don't get panic attacks_, I thought grudgingly. Besides I was enraged, not panicking. I sighed and rubbed my temple forcefully, "Since you won't tell me how to get back, might as well do what you told Annabeth. Have any new theories about Smith 'n Jones?"

Both Nico and Lyra shook their heads.

"And before you ask, there is still no significant person by the name of Marius B." Nico stated. Ever since we had taken the defensive, I had been drilling anyone we could find about the name Marius B, the last gift Dr. Calder gave me before she was murdered.

"How hard can it be to find Marius? I mean who names their kids Marius anyways?" I demanded.

".03% percent of kids were named Marius in the year 1954. The most common year for Mariuses," informed Lyra. Nico and I exchanged perplexed looks.

"How in Hades name do you know that?" Nico queried.

"I looked it up, clod. Percy's head has been screaming that name since he heard it." Lyra rolled to her feet and pulled out a knife, the steel blade glinting in the broken moonlight. "I've been thinking about who would have the power and audacity to pull off something like this." She paused, her gaze becoming calculating and considerate. "I think he's human."

"Why's that?" Nico asked.

"He has to have some kind of connection to our world though," I said. "Maybe a clear-sighted mortal. But why wage war against us?"

Lyra plopped back down on the forest floor, spinning the knife between her fingers as she debated the facts. "Maybe he felt wronged by the gods? Having seen everything and fearing it because he didn't know what _it_ was. When he discovered the gods, he was bitter and resentful for thinking he was insane."

"People fear what they don't understand." I agreed. "But that doesn't explain Smith. I'm damned if he's even part human."

"I don't have any theories about the Bobbsey Twins except that Hoover knew them, or at least of them."

Nico perked up when he realized he had something to add to the discussion, "Yeah, he said they'd been around for a while. Specially trained for unorthodox missions. Wait, how'd _you_ know about that? I never mentioned it."

"I dreamt about it."

"Huh."

"Nico," I incited, "what happened when you summoned Huver?"

"Hoover, and not much. He bulled a lot of it. Talking about removed emotions and that he made a lot of bases around the country and in Mexico. I think I must have really pissed him off cause after I sent him away, this stone flew out of nowhere and knocked me in the head."

"Removed emotions," I echoed, chuckling humorlessly. "I wouldn't put it past this Marius Bastard. Come on, everyone will be starting to get worried."

* * *

By the time we all got back to base, it was obvious we missed something big. Kids were running wild with looks of anger and fear written plain on their faces.

Nico and Lyra glanced around, each mirroring the fears I felt crashing down like a tidal wave. A son of Hermes rushed by, but I lashed out and caught his collar, his legs comically flying it from under him. He yelped and struggled even after he realized it was me.

"What happened?" I demanded. The boy shook his head, mumbling incoherently. I shook him violently, trying to break into his clouded mind. "Did they find us?"

Still, the boy just shook his head.

"Percy!"

I dropped the kid and turned to the voice. Annabeth, her blonde hair flowing free behind her, sprinted over to me.

"Annabeth, did they find us?" I asked as soon as she was close enough to talk without shouting and ensuing more panic.

Annabeth shook her head, but the tears in her eyes dispelled any hope I had left. "The hunters just arrived."

"What's wrong? Are they hurt?"

"Nothing fatal, but they—they were attacked. In D.C. They were transporting some half-bloods and a patrol caught up with them. But Percy—Thalia. They have her."

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